


Your True Birthright (Was Never a Throne)

by Crazy_Cat_Lady



Series: The Best of Three Worlds [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angry Sex!, Body Horror, But there will be More Smut, Creepy Voyeurism, Dubious Consent, Dubious Ethics, F/F, F/M, Homophobic Asgard, Internalized Homophobia, Internalized racism, Intersex Loki, Jotun Loki, M/M, Masterbation, More Plot than Expected, Multi, Other, Porn With Plot, Self-Loathing, Size Kink, The Author May Regret This, This may get strange, Thor means well, With toys, and bondage, eventually, fem!Loki, sort of, there will be smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-01-02 09:58:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 33
Words: 81,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1055423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_Cat_Lady/pseuds/Crazy_Cat_Lady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After they learn Loki survived the fall from the Bifrost, Odin and Thor learn a great deal about Jotuns that they weren't aware of before, and they come to believe that a lot of Loki's madness stems from the suppression of Loki's Jotun nature and sexuality.</p><p>Thor was sent to Earth to help Loki.  That's what he's going to do, whether Loki likes it or not.  The newly formed Avengers are roped into helping out, and team bonding happens an entirely different way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can't stand the way Thor treated Loki in 'The Avengers' movie, so I am going to rewrite the action as if Thor and Odin actually did care about Loki, and were not idiots without a clue. 
> 
> This fic contains graphic and explicit sex, Differently sexed Loki, possibly triggery dub-con and Avengers behaving badly. Read at your own risk and if you don't like it, please find something else to read.
> 
> The Avengers are not mine, of course.
> 
> *******
> 
> Despite the word 'True' in both titles, this fic is not in any way related to my other fic 'True Colors Shining Thru'. I am lousy at naming things, that's all.
> 
> *******

 

Everything was going just as Loki had planned until a sudden blinding flash of lightening, followed by a crash of thunder outside of the plane announced the arrival of his- of Thor.  Loki winced, wondering if the fool would have the good sense to wait till they were safely on the ground before trying to confront him.

“What’s the matter?  “Scared of a little lightening?” Rogers, the soldier out of his own time, actually had the nerve to mock him.  As if he knew anything about Loki, or anything, really.  Just as he’d suspected, ‘Captain America’ was just another warrior type who thought the answer to all problems was to smash them.  In his case, with a shiny metal shield instead of a hammer, but it was the same mentality.

“I’m not overly fond of what follows,” Loki shrugged, trying not to let his worry show as he waited to see what Thor was doing.  Rogers and the man in the armor just looked at him, baffled.

As he predicted, Thor was utterly lacking in patience, coming in for a landing on top of the plane with a thump that caused the jet to shudder.  Fortunately, Stark opened the jet’s rear hatch before Thor resorted to hammering his way in.  The Thunderer was clearly eager to hammer something, though, it seemed, and Stark was in his path.  Thus Stark was sent hurtling backwards through the small cabin.

Loki had no time to enjoy this development, however, because Thor was grabbing him by the collar and ripping him from the so-called ‘restraints’ they had placed on him, and dragging him out of the plane, and then they were falling.

Blackness swirled around them as they fell.  Loki’s mind gibbered in panic, and for a long moment, he thought himself back in the void, falling forever through the stars.  Thuor’s arm tightened around him, bringing him back to himself just in time to see the ground coming up fast.  

At the last instant, Thor used  Mjölnir to slow their descent, and they stumbled to the ground together, on a rocky peak overlooking an evergreen forest.  If not for Thor’s iron grip, Loki would have fallen, but as soon as he recovered his balance, he shoved his former brother away viciously.

“Loki.” Thor reached for him, but let his hand fall when Loki stepped back to avoid it.  His face fell into that kicked puppy expression that had so often caused Loki to give in and do what he wanted.  Before the coronation.  Before Jotunheim.  Before everything had gone so wrong.

Loki turned away so as not to have to see it, but he could not shut out Thor’s words as easily.

“It is good to see you, Loki.  When you fell, we thought you dead.”

Huffing bitter laughter, Loki asked, “Did you mourn?”

“We all did,” Thor insisted, catching Loki’s shoulder to spin him back to face Asgard’s golden son.  “Our father-”

No.  Loki could not let that pass.  “Your father!”  He shrugged off Thor’s hand, rolling his shoulders against a tension he could not quite comprehend.  “He did tell you of my true parentage, did he not?”  

“He told me, yes.” Thor let his hammer drop to the ground.  It rang out metallic protest.  “I does not matter to me, Loki.  We were raised together.  We played together.  Fought together.  Do you remember none of this?”

“I remember a shadow,” Loki snarled, “Living in the shade of your greatness.”  How dare Thor pretend that who he was didn’t matter.  That what he was didn’t matter.  “I remember you tossing me into an abyss.  I who was- and should be king!”  It was not a very clear memory, except for the feelings of rage and betrayal.  Those same feelings flared anew as Thor looked blank, as if he didn’t know what Loki was talking about.

“So you would-” Clinching his teeth with an audible snap, Thor drew in a deep breath through his nose.  “I see that arguing with you is futile.”

“I’m relieved to hear it,” Loki retorted, though he was more than a little confused.  It wasn’t like Thor to give up in the middle of a battle, even a verbal one.

“Mother did warn me.”  Thor reached into a pouch at his belt.  “She told me it would do neither of us any good to talk yet, and that I should give you this first thing.” 

Thor raised his hand, still curled around some small object. 

Even if she was not truly his mother, Loki could not bring himself to hate Frigga.  She was the only unsullied memory he had of his childhood.  It hurt his heart to know she still thought kindly of him, and sent some token.  Something for him, and not for Thor.  Curious, Loki leaned forward for a look just as Thor crushed the translucent blue gem and blew a cloud of fine, sparkling dust directly into Loki’s face.

Loki recoiled, feeling a spell tingle against his skin, tasting its tang on his tongue as his gasp of surprise pulled it into his lungs.  He brought his hands up, meaning to work some dispersal, but Thor captured his wrists as the magic began taking hold. 

“It’s only sleep, Loki.”  He grinned, but it was a wan grin, not his usual bright fire.  “You look like you could use it.”

_No.  I can’t sleep.  I need to be awake.  I need to be in control._ Loki struggled against Thor’s greater strength, but it was too late; his eyes were drifting shut.  _Idiot Thor, ruining everything again._  


	2. Chapter 2

Loki and the hammer-throwing asshole who’d taken him were nowhere in sight, or in range of any of his sensors by the time Tony launched himself out of the quinjet after them, but that was no obstacle.  _As long as they are still on my goddamned planet._ Rather than waste precious time flying around in circles, he had Jarvis tap into a highly classified reconnaissance satellite overhead.  Changing its position and reprograming its search parameters took an  interminable six point eight minutes, but with his AI’s help, it located them both almost instantly, so Tony was feeling pretty smug about that as he came in for a perfect three point landing.  He was till pissed off about the hammer, though, and ready for a rematch.

SHIELD had been in touch with the news that the blond bolt out of the blue had been a previously encountered alien calling himself Thor, of Asgard, and that when he had last been on Earth, he and some kind of robot sent by his brother had nearly leveled a small town in New Mexico.  That brother had been Loki, if they had the story straight, so Tony half expected to see the two of them arguing, or going at it hammer and tongs, or at least hammer and whatever weapon Loki could pull out of his magical hat, since the glowstick of destiny was locked up in the cargo hold of the jet.  What he did not expect was to find Thor sitting against an stone outcrop with Loki lying half in his lap.

He felt a moment of anxiety before he could clearly make out that Loki was still breathing, and didn’t seem to be bleeding or otherwise mangled. 

“All right,” Tony greeted him, raising his faceplate.  “Put down the psycho and step away slowly.”

Somewhat to his surprise, Thor did ease Loki gently to the ground and get to his feet, reaching out for the ridiculously oversized hammer that flew into his hand.

He warned, “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

Tony snorted. “Shakespeare in the park?” He struck a pose. “Uh, doth Mother knoweth you weareth her drapes?”

He thought there was a flicker of amusement in Thor’s eyes, but there was no levity in his voice.  This is beyond you, Metal Man.  Loki will be coming back to Asgard with me, for the help he needs.” 

“He gives up the Cube and he’s all yours.  Until then,” Tony lowered his faceplate and stepped forward to reclaim his prisoner, “Stay out of the way. Tourist.”

Probably it wasn’t the wisest move to turn his back on Thor.  He heard the hammer coming and turned, starting to bring his repulsors up.  The impact took him full in the chest and hurtled him backwards, through a goddamned fucking tree!

Coming to rest in a scatter of limbs and splinters, Tony ran a swift diagnostic and found his suit unharmed.  Though the paint job was probably a wreck, and pine sap was a bitch to get off.  “Okay,” he murmured, powering up weapons and charging up the chest RT.  _Let’s do this._

Thor had retrieved his hammer and was swinging it in a circle, smirking arrogantly and waiting for his opponent to get back up.

Tony didn’t need to be standing to let Thor have it.  As the beam knocked the Asgardian back, Tony followed up with a flying kick.  This time Thor got the experience of breaking a tree with his back.

It did Thor no more harm than it had Tony.  The blond giant rose to his feet, summoned his flying hammer and raised it high.  This time he did not throw it.  Instead, a bolt of goddamned fucking lightening split the air, and the hammer drank it in.  When he lowered it to point his way, Tony had a pretty good guess at what was about to happen.

Sometimes it sucked to be right.  The electricity staggered him, blinded him, made his hair stand on end and crackled through his suit systems like the nightmare of all static, but the suit took it.

Tony caught his breath.  _Yes, I **am** a genius._   Jarvis’s calm voice interrupted his gloating.  “Power at 400% capacity.”

“How ‘bout that?”  Tony mused.  Well, it would be a shame to let that kind of charge go to waste.  He fired his repulsors.

This time Thor went somersaulting back.  He came charging back, roaring.  Tony met him midair, and they flew, tumbled, fell, punched and grappled and blasted and hammered each other in a knock-down, drag-out brawl.

Neither of them was showing the slightest sign of quitting until the red, white and blue came swooping in out of nowhere, ricocheting off both his and Thor’s chests with enough force to drive them apart.

“Hey!” They both looked in the direction of the shout in time to see Captain America catch his shield.  The supersoldier frowned down at them from a broken tree top.  “That’s enough!”

Leaping effortlessly down, Rogers confronted Thor.  “Now I don’t know what you plan on doing here.”

Thor stepped towards him, growling, “I’ve come to put an end to Loki’s plans, and take him home.”

“Then prove it,” Rogers demanded.  “Put that hammer down.”

The Capsicle had no idea who he was dealing with.  “Uh, yeah, no,” Tony tried to warn, “Bad idea.  He loves his ham-” 

The blow caught him entirely off-guard, sending him spinning face first into the dirt.

“You want me to put the hammer down?” Thor bellowed, leaping high, brandishing the weapon in an overhead swing.

Rogers brought his shield up, unflinching.  

The resulting shockwave turned every tree within thirty yards into kindling, leaving the three combatants stunned and looking a bit sheepish.  

Well, Thor and Rogers looked sheepish.  Tony had his helmet shut, so he looked cool and intimidating. 

“Are we done here?” Rogers rasped, now looking resolute as any WWII recruiting poster.

Thor lowered his hammer.  “I apologize.  I let my temper get the better of me.”

Steve looked expectantly at Tony.  Tony was not about to admit to any guilt here.  It was his planet being threatened after all.  He changed the subject. “Right.  Maybe we should go check to make sure Loki didn’t leave during all the excitement.

“No,” Thor shook his head and began walking back in the direction they had left the would-be world conqueror. “He will sleep for a night and a day.”

“Okay, that’s good, in that he hasn’t escaped,” Tony agreed, “But we kind of need to ask him some urgent questions.  Can you wake him up?”

“I cannot. I know not if he could tell you what you wished to know in any case.  His mind is too unbalanced.”

“Do you know what he’s done with the Cube?” Rogers asked Thor hopefully.

“I do not.” 

Steve went to the next best question. “Do you have any idea what he’s planning?”  

“Some.” At the foot of a steep ridge, Thor began to spin his hammer again.  Tony braced himself, but Thor was looking up, not at either of them.  “Let us retrieve my brother and retire to a secure place to make our plans.”

There was no time to answer, because Thor leaped up and flew, like Superman, but with a hammer.

Tony looked over at Steve. “Want a lift?”

 

~~~~~

 

The quinjet had come in for a landing not far from their location, and after a short discussion in which Thor vowed to defend his passed out whackjob of a brother and Steve made totally unsanctioned and not SHIELD approved promises that they had no intentions of hurting Loki, they all trooped back onto the plane.

As Natasha prepared to get them back on their original course, Thor spoke up.

“This flying base of yours,” he queried, “Did Loki know this is where you were to deliver him?” 

Nat and Rogers looked at each other, uncomfortable. “We mentioned it in his hearing,” she acknowledged, reluctantly. 

“It is a SHIELD headquarters,” Thor went on. “Agent Barton knows of it?”

“What do you know about Barton?” Natasha demanded sharply. 

“I know that Loki has enthralled him, and turned him against his friends.”  Tiredly, Thor looked over at his brother where he slumped in the seat straps, head lolling, his inky hair falling to curtain his face.  “If Loki knew of your plans, it might be wise to change them.”

“You think this is a set up?” Rogers sat up straighter.  He had already been thinking just that. Now he was probably going to be insufferable.

“Loki could have escaped you easily. It is worrying that he was allowing you to take him somewhere.  He has always been fond of tricks and cunning plans,” he sighed.

“We might not have been that easy to get away from,” Tony argued, just to be contrary.

“As long as he has his magic, my brother can cause you to see whatever he wants you to see.  He can move through mirrors, vanish like smoke and travel the paths unseen.”

That was all very poetical, Tony thought, but it didn’t explain jack about Loki’s actual powers.  The illusions Loki had demonstrated back in Stuttgart had piqued his science itch, though.  Now he had a perfect excuse to get the crazy god into his labs, rather than have to tag along to Fury’s. 

“We can go to Stark Tower instead,” he offered helpfully.  “If Loki and Barton have hatched some kind of plan, they won’t be expecting that.”

“Stark Tower?” Steve made a face.  “You mean that big ugly-”  Tony shot him a look, reminding him whose baby he was insulting, “-Building in New York?” Rogers finished.

“I’ve got everything we’ll need to look for the Tesseract there, my security can rival anything SHIELD has, and Barton doesn’t know it inside and out.  It’s perfect.”

Natasha pursed her lips, thinking.  Likely she was thinking how much this might piss off Director Fury, or possibly whether or not she wanted to be trapped in such close quarters with Tony again, but she nodded tightly.  “It’s a good idea.”  She turned to set a new course for New York.

Steve steered the conversation back to the task at hand.  “You said you would tell us what you knew about Loki’s plan,” he reminded Thor.

“I only know some of it, from what Asgard’s guardian, Heimdall, was able to see from afar,” Thor began.  “Two years ago, my brother fell from the Bifrost, into the abyss between the stars.  We all thought he had died, but he did not.  He wound up a vast distance from our home.  We knew he lived, and that he was a prisoner, but we had no way to rescue him until he was seen here, stealing the Tesseract and carrying a dire weapon that was given to him by one who seeks to use him.”  

Thor paused, looking around. “Do you have the scepter here?  It must be destroyed.”

Nat paused only a heartbeat, then lied like the pro she was. “No, it’s not here.  Why do you want it destroyed?  Who gave it to Loki?”

“A being called ‘The Other’ gave it to Loki.  He is the ruler of a race called the Chitauri, and the commander of their army, but they are not the true threat.  Thanos, the Mad Titan, is the one behind this.  He is an immortal being of vast power and a love of death that could threaten all of existence.”

“So Loki is working for a bigger bad?” Tony had Jarvis start a search on Thanos, and Titan.  They sounded made up to him, but Thor and Loki were from mythology, with flying hammers and horned helmets and supposed magic, so it was already a Grimm’s Circus of Fairy Tales, as far as he was concerned.

“Aye.  But he is not entirely to blame, Man of Iron.  He is unwell, and his treatment by The Other and the Chitauri have only made it worse, as has the influence of the scepter.”

“What influence?  He used it to brainwash some of our people,” Nat said. “Are you saying someone used it on him the same way?”

Thor shook his head.  “No.  Loki is not as susceptible to such a full enslavement, but according to my father, it has more subtle effects.   It twists and darkens the thoughts and feelings of those near it, rousing anxiety and hostility where none was before, and worsening any that already exists.” 

“We’ll be sure to keep that in mind when we find it,” Natasha assured him, blandly.

“You said your brother is sick.” Tony opened the mini-frig tucked behind the cockpit partition and dug out a bottle of water.  He offered one to Thor, and another to Steve.  They both accepted with thanks.  “I assume you mean mentally ill, right?”

Thor hesitated, then stated, “He is not what he should be.”

“So, do you have some kind of meds for that?  Alien antipsychotics? Magic equivalent of  Zyprexa, maybe?”

“There is a treatment,” Thor’s gaze slid to the darkness outside the cabin window.  “If we had the Cube, I could use it to take him home so our healers could begin.”

“Maybe if we could start the treatment, we could get him to cooperate and tell us where the Cube is,” Rogers suggested helpfully.

“Sure.  If you can explain it, I can probably synthesize it,” Tony promised.

Thor’s reaction was strange, to say the least.  His face turned nearly as red as his cloak.  “It is... difficult to explain.”

“Can you try?” Natasha urged.  “We may be running out of time.”

For a long moment, it seemed Thor was not going to answer, but after a long swallow of water, he nodded solemnly.  “Yes.  I do not know if it is right to ask this of you, but what you say is true, and if you are willing, I would be very glad of your help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am terrible leaving you hanging there. I will do my best to get more to you really soon!
> 
> Thank you to everyone for your kudos and comments, and all your enthusiasm for this story. I'll be answering comments later, but I am happy to have you guys reading!


	3. Chapter 3

As he drifted gradually up out of his long slumber, Loki dreamed he was back in his own bed, in Asgard, but though the bed was soft and the covers warm and clean, the scents were all wrong and the floral notes artificial.  Nevertheless, it was a more comfortable waking than he’d known since last he’d been there, and he was reluctant to open his eyes and shatter the illusion completely.  

“Good evening,” a strange voice from high above him banished his last shreds of contentment, and Loki leaped-no- _tried_ to leap up, only to find his wrists and ankles bound to the four thick metal pillars at each corner of the bed.

“I will let your brother and sir know that you are awake,” the voice spoke again, though there was no one else in the room.   

“He is not my brother.” Loki corrected, reaching for magic to break the bonds, or slip out of them.  A faint vibration around his wrists was the only result.  Suppression cuffs.  Thor must have brought them with him so as to drag him back in chains.

_I will not go back!  I should be king!  I will be king!_   Furious, he wrenched at the bindings with all his might, but they held.

“Loki,” Thor stepped though the door at the far end of the room and strode up to the bed, beaming.  “Did you sleep well?”

“Thor,” Loki sneered up at him and ignored the question.  “Why am I chained to this bed?”

The mattress dipped as Thor sat down beside him.  “You are in bed because you were sleeping, and we chained you so that the first thing you did when you woke up wouldn’t be to try and escape and kill anyone in your way.”

That kind of intelligence and caution was entirely unlike Thor.  Loki decided it must have been someone else’s idea.  “Where am I, then?”  Because this was certainly not the glass Hulk-proof cage that Barton had led him to expect. It was a large bedroom, the furnishings modern Midgardian and expensive, at a glance.  Only the floor to ceiling steel posts were out of place.

Thor looked apologetic. “It was decided not to tell you.  But you are safe here, brother.  I will not let any harm come to you.”

“You cannot keep me here!”  He was supposed to be on the Heliocarrier.  How would Barton find him, now that he could not summon him by magic?  What if his army came through and he was not there to lead it 

“It is for your own good, brother,” Thor rumbled.

“I am not your brother!

“No,” Thor’s expression was sad but determined.  “That is true.  You are not my brother.”

A howl of triumphant desolation tore through Loki’s soul at this admission.  

Bending down, Thor cradled Loki’s face between his huge, blunt-fingered hands, and kissed his forehead.  “That does not mean that I love you any less.”

_What?_ The oaf had moved back before Loki had sufficiently recovered from his shock enough to try to bite him, or head butt him.

“You need help, Loki.”

“I need nothing from you, except your agonized death!” Loki hissed.  “And my clothes.  Why am I not wearing any clothes?”  It had seemed a natural enough way to wake up- he’d never been in the habit of wearing anything to bed, but now it seemed disquieting.

“Your treatment will be easier without them,” Thor stammered.

Loki stared at him.  “What treatment?  What are you babbling about?”

“For your madness.”

“You think to cure me?” Loki laughed.  “What could you possibly do, Thor?”

“Father and I have done a great deal of study,” Thor spoke slowly.  “We wanted to understand what happened to you.”

“It is not that hard to understand, Odinson!  He lied to me!  I was never his son.  He only meant to use me, or keep me locked up like all his other precious relics!”

“He lied to try to protect you, Loki.  But you are right.  He should not have.”

Loki panted, stripped of words by that.  This was all so wrong.  Thor was supposed to tell him that Odin was perfect and all-knowing, that Loki had only ever imagined being slighted, mocked and humiliated, that it was all Loki’s fault.

“He is sorry.  Father wanted to tell you himself.  He is very sorry.”

“For what?” Loki yanked again at the chains.  “For stealing a frost giant babe? Or is he only sorry that I learned the truth before he could think of a use for me?” 

“He’s sorry that keeping the truth from you has caused you such pain, Loki.  He did not mean to do that to you.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“If you would tell us what you’ve done with the Tesseract, I will take you home and you can hear it for yourself.”

“Ha.  Hear him sentence me to death, more likely.  Or to rot in his prison for the rest of my life.”

“No, Loki,” Thor shook his head.  “Father only wants what is best for you, as do I.  And you know Mother would never let that happen to you,” he chided gently.

“She’s not my mother.”

“She says otherwise.”

“Shut up.”

“Will you give up the Tesseract?  Will you give up this poisonous dream and come home?” 

“I don’t have it,” Loki grinned fiercely, singsonging, “I sent it off, I know not where.” 

Thor scowled at him.

It was too wonderful.  “You should thank me!  With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the All-Father have to muster to conjure you here to your precious Earth?  Now you can go and visit your little mortal bitch.  Go on, have fun!” 

Flopping back against the pillows, Loki smiled sweetly.  “Maybe you can take her back to Asgard with you.  She would fit in so well, don’t you think?  No one would dare say anything about Asgard’s golden prince fucking something beneath him.”

“You are wrong about Jane, just as you are wrong about the rest of the mortals, Loki.  They are not beneath us.  Truly, a throne would suit you ill if you cannot see that.”

“I am above them!  I will rule them well.  You will see,” Loki vowed, “I will save them.  I will be a better king than you or Odin could ever hope to be!”

Thor only sighed.  “I cannot convince you, then?  I think you would prefer to be treated in Asgard, but if you will not go, we will begin here.”

“What is this treatment you keep prattling on about?  A potion to chase all Asgard’s lies from my mind?  A charm to make me see the error of my ways and come crawling back to Odin’s feet?  Can you change the truth of my birth?  Have you a spell to make me other than I am?”

“More like a spell to make you what you are.  What you were meant to be,” Thor muttered, reaching into his cloak and bringing out a amulet of rune-engraved gold, dangling from a heavy silver chain.

“What is that?” Loki struggled to back away from it as Thor moved to fasten it around his neck.  It was cold against his bare skin, and tingled with power.

“It will remove Father’s spell from you.”

Thor wasn’t making any sense whatsoever.  “What spell?”

Then he felt it.  Something splintered, ripped, unravelled inside him. A chill like icy water spreading over him, starting at his finger tips, his feet, his ears and face and spreading like venom, like ice crystals growing towards his heart as his skin flushed midnight blue, criss-crossed with raised lines of a paler hue.  

“No!” Loki fought to reach the necklace, thrashing.  “Take it off!  Thor, stop this!”

“Calm down, Loki,” Thor held him down by his shoulders.  “Just be still.”

“Let go!  Get this thing off of me!” Loki shrieked, clawing and kicking as best he could despite the chains.  

“I’ll take it off if you’ll be still,” Thor offered, easing his grip slightly and staring down into Loki’s face.  “All right?”

Loki stopped struggling.  “Take it off.”

Slowly, Thor released his arms and drew the chain off over Loki’s head, setting it aside.

Nothing happened.  Loki stayed blue. His hidden monstrousness revealed to the world.  “No,” he pleaded, “No, no, nononono!  Change me back!”

“Loki,” Thor’s crestfallen expression was infuriating.  “Loki, I cannot.  Even if I wished to, I would not.  This is the only way you can get better.”

“How is this better?” Loki railed at him.  “Is this your father’s plan to ensure I never become king, by showing everyone that I’m a monster?

“You are not a monster, Loki.  Please calm down!”

Across the room, the door swung inward, and in walked a familiar figure, dressed in battered, faded clothes not fit for even the lowest servant.  He stopped at the side of the bed, leered cheerfully and offered up an insouciant smile.

“So Thor,” Tony Stark drawled, though his eyes were fixed on Loki, “How about a proper introduction to your exotic but gorgeous sister?”

_Sister?_ Loki stared at Stark, then looked down at himself, at the small, jutting breasts.  “Thor,” he looked up slowly, fear and confusion stoking his rage to a new boil, “What in Hel did you do to me?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have rewritten this chapter half a dozen times, and I'm still not happy with it, but I am going to post it and move on, because Christmas insanity is looming, and I don't want to get stuck and leave things hanging till next year. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think, folks. Thank you to everyone who left comments and kudos. I appreciate the feedback.
> 
> Also, pronoun trouble. Loki is going to continue to think of himself as 'he' for a while longer at least, but Thor is doing his best to stick to the new gender. I think I've caught all the mistakes in this chapter, but if you see any, let me know and I'll fix.

 

 

 

 

Unlike his witty, eloquent former brother, Thor had never been very good at talking. His tongue tripped and tangled and sometimes threatened to strangle him. It was doing so right now, as he groped to find the right words to make Loki understand.

“The pendant removed Father’s transformation spell from you,” he explained. “So you would have your true form.”

“I’d like to go on record as saying it is a very attractive form,” Stark chimed in, and Thor was not sure whether to be annoyed or glad that the Man of Iron had drawn Loki’s wrathful gaze away momentarily. “Not that you weren’t a good-looking guy, mind you. In a hot, crazy supervillian kind of way.”

Loki’s mouth worked as if he too had been rendered speechless by Stark’s odd compliments, then he returned his attention to Thor. “This is your idea of a joke, isn’t it? It’s no longer enough for you and your friends to taunt me about how magic is a woman’s art. Or is this a punishment from the All-Father, for daring to try to end the war you started?”

“No, Loki,” Thor wondered if anything he said was getting though Loki’s hateful delusions of persecution. “Nothing like that, I swear.”

“Because if I were a woman, I think I would know!”

“Loki, you didn’t even know you were Jotun,” Thor reminded her, as tactfully as he could.

“I know I still have a cock, Thor,” Loki snapped, yanking at her bonds.

“Really?” Stark reached for the blankets.

“Son of Stark!” Thor lunged to grab his arm, preventing him, then had to use his other hand to shove down his infuriated sibling before she hurt herself trying to get up.

“I will rip out your lungs, mortal!”

“Seriously, do not call me that,” Stark said, ignoring Loki’s eagerness to maim him. “I think you should let her see. I’d want to know my dick was still there too, if it was me.”

“I am trying to explain!” Thor bellowed above Loki’s continued threats.

“You are terrible at it. Just let her see. It’s her body, after all.” He made another grab at the covers.

“No!” Thor shouted.

“Yes,” Loki’s eyes burned hot, staring up at Thor. Her exertion had left her breathless, faintly shaking under his hand. “It is my body. Let me see.”

“See? What did I tell you?” Stark said. “Jarvis, raise the bed up and cut the lady some slack.”

“As you wish, sir,” the disembodied voice answered, and the bed hummed, vibrated and began to lift Loki up to a comfortable seating position. At the same time, the chains gradually unspooled, allowing Loki to lower his arms.

Thor eased his hand away but did not retreat. Loki seemed more interested in what her new body looked and felt like than attempting a futile attempt to harm him. It gave him hope that his sibling was not entirely without reason.

Slowly, she lifted the blanket, and looked under it. Her immediate relief vanished as she saw not only did she have breasts, but her entire body was slightly different. She was still lean and sinewy, but her frame was lighter, more lightly made, and a certain softness rounded the angles of her hips and stomach. Her hands were more tapered, her wrists more delicate. Eyes wide, she reached down to feel for herself what was and was not there now.

“Thor,” she gasped, panicking as she located the soft folds, the moist cleft nestled within.

Hurriedly, he caught her wrists before her fingers, curling into claws, could injure herself. “Loki!”

“What have you done to me? What is this?”

“It is natural to you, Loki.” Thor insisted, giving her a little shake. “All Jotuns are so, with both male and female parts.”

She blinked, then snarled, “I don’t recall any of the frost giants we fought having tits, Thor!”

“No,” Thor admitted. “You are different.”

“I would never have guessed,” Loki shot back.

“Hey, different is good,” Stark opined. “Variety, spice of life and all.”

Thor took a deep breath. “You are an ice maiden.”

“A what?” Loki shook her head, trying to pull free. “Let go! I am not. I am not! I am Asgard’s rightful king! You have no right to do this to me!”

It was terrible to see the moment of clarity fade from Loki’s features, swallowed up by a maelstrom of insanity once again. “Loki, please. Please listen,” Thor begged, tightening his hold against her fighting him.

“Shall I resume the previous level of restraint?” Jarvis inquired.

“Yeah. That’s a good idea, I think,” Stark answered. “Let her calm down some, Thor. Why don’t you come have a drink? Give her some space to think.”

“I don’t want to leave her alone,” Thor protested. “She needs my help.”

“We won’t go far, and Jarvis can let you know if she wants you,” Stark promised, tugging him towards the exit. “Let’s have a few shots. Test out that god-like constitution against my 190 proof vodka.”

“Perhaps a few,” Thor conceded, looking back to where Loki was still taut against the cuffs, spewing out hate and lunacy. He disliked leaving her alone, but it seemed his presence might be making things worse. Maybe she would calm sooner, without him there.

“All right. Besides,” Stark reached to open the door. “You left out a few things before. Come and explain to us all about ice maidens.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Christmas Crush of Insanity is over! Yaaaaay! I should have more time to write now, and hope to get at least two chapters up this weekend. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Against his better judgement, Bruce found himself starting to like Tony Stark. The inventor was brash, abrasive and arrogant in the extreme, but he was also breathtakingly intelligent and well-versed in a wide range of various subjects, which he rambled on about at length between their more on-task discussions. He had displayed a flagrant disregard for SHIELD’s authority, treated the Norse God of Thunder and Captain America like none too bright teenage jocks, and needled the on-edge assassin at every opportunity, but spoke to Bruce as an equal. 

He also seemed to want to make the Hulk out to be a hero, or at least a potential hero, comparing Bruce’s situation with the life-altering attack and kidnapping that had led up to Tony’s conversion into Iron Man. He seemed to look forward to fighting Loki’s invading army along side the Other Guy, and wouldn’t be discouraged. It was a level of trust that Bruce found heartening, even as he knew better.

So he liked Tony more than he wanted to, and didn’t want to hurt him, or level this hi-tech building that the billionaire was so proud of, but this situation with Loki had him so close to losing it that he could almost hear the Hulk’s roaring in the back of his mind, and feel ghostly fists like wrecking balls extended from his own clenched hands.

He had sat in on the meeting where Thor had warned them of about the Chitauri army, and between the two of them, he and Tony had unraveled Loki’s plan for using the Tesseract to open a portal for the invasion force. Bruce understood that there was a real threat, to the Earth, or at the very least to millions of lives. He’d even found a scrap of pride in the idea that he might be able to help prevent it.

Then Nick Fury had gone and pushed all his buttons by suggesting that they go ahead with the ‘treatment’ for Loki that Thor had told them about. He’d even dared to ask Bruce if he could do any kind of tests to verify the alien prisoner’s condition, or the effectiveness of said treatment. Bruce had come very close to Hulking out and killing them all, but Tony, ever perceptive and stupidly fearless, had dragged him from the meeting up to a lab and put him back to work on finding the Tesseract.

He set his mind to the task, focusing most of his attention on the technical challenge, and the remainder on his breathing, until he felt his heart rate slow, and his rage was pushed back down to its constant simmer, no longer threatening to boil over and break loose.

Seeming aware of this, Tony piped up, “You know, I can understand why you’re freaked out, but this thing with Loki isn’t like you and the Hulk.”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” Bruce muttered, continuing to tap at the touch sensitive computer screens that were so much more sophisticated than anything he’d ever seen. It was making him more than a little jealous. Living on the run, he’d been hard-pressed to get access to equipment of any type, much less the beyond state of the art tech that Stark had made for himself. 

In fact, it was difficult not to resent Stark, in a lot of ways. Bruce couldn’t help but wonder what Stark would have done if his kidnappers had demanded he recreate his father’s super soldier instead of a missile, and had wound up in his own version of non-removable ‘suit’.

“We’re not trying to use him for a weapon, just make him sane so he’ll tell us where to find the Tesseract and how to stop the alien invasion,” Tony kept talking anyway, “It’s more like shock therapy.”

“It’s rape!” Bruce shot back, then had to close his eyes and make his breathing slow and deep again.

“Okay, look, it’s disturbing,” Tony granted, “it’s invasive. So is shock therapy. But according to Thor, Loki is going to be out of his mind in heat until he... she gets.. has sex. If that’s all it takes, wouldn’t it be worth it? Don’t you think she would prefer not to be crazy?”

“If it’s a chemical imbalance, there has to be a pharmaceutical answer that doesn’t require sexually violating a disturbed individual!”

“There probably is,” Tony agreed, closing down all the data windows on the translucent screen between them. “You know even better than I do that without more information about this species’ physiology, it would take years to figure out, mainly by trial and error. We don’t have years before this invasion. You’ve been made a lab rat before, Doc. Is that better than something that is natural to these Jotuns?”

“I can’t condone either,” Bruce shook his head. “Not against his will.”

“Neither can I,” declared the Captain, striding into Tony’s lab like an All-American, apple pie-eating, mother-loving bastion of morality and rectitude, with Thor trailing behind him, looking grim. 

“It’s against everything I believe in,” Rogers proclaimed, righteously indignant. “You don’t torture prisoners, or take advantage of them, sexually.” His obvious discomfort pronouncing the final word took some of the authority out of his stance.

“Hey, I’m against torture,” Tony agreed adamantly. “Speaking as someone who’s been tortured, I’m very much against it. That’s not what we’re talking about here.” Turning to Thor, he asked, “How were you guys planning to treat his... her condition, back on your own planet?”

Thor shrugged his massive shoulders. “It is not a condition known to Asgard’s healers. Father meant to try to calm Loki enough to be treated by the Jotuns.”

“How do they treat it, then?” Bruce inquired, taking off his glasses to clean them on his shirt. 

“I thought you said Loki had tried to destroy their world,” Steve said, slowly. “Aren’t you worried they might want revenge for that?”

Tony concurred, “Yeah, I’m not sure I’d want to turn him... her over to them, after he’d tried to wipe them out, Blondie.”

“They were indeed angered,” Thor admitted, “But fortunately, Loki was stopped before there was widespread damage, and my father has offered the new king the use of their Casket to repair all that was destroyed, and more. After millennia, our realms are close to a true accord. It was their king, Helblindi, who suggested the true cause of Loki’s insanity, after Father told them of Loki’s origin.”

“That seems a bit questionable,” Bruce said, “I hope that’s not your only source.”

Thor shook his head. “We sought out as many books and scholars as could be found on the subject of ice maidens, though there were few of either. The Jotuns are an insular people, and ice maidens are rare.”

“Still, turning him over to strangers who have a good reason to be pissed at him... her, seems like a bad idea,” Tony said. “Doesn’t Loki have anybody on Asgard? A lover, or even an ex? Or would that even work, if it was a woman? Does it make a difference which gender she has sex as? Or with?”

“I do not know. The Jotun healers said Loki needed to be satisfied, but they did not say how, and Father’s research only indicated that the heat cycle would continue to disorder Loki’s thinking until it was resolved.” Thor seemed to take note of how much Tony and Bruce had to crane their necks to look up at him, and abashedly moved to take a seat. Bruce wondered who had trained this courtesy into Thor. It seemed a new and slightly ill-fitting gesture.

“Loki has ever been very private in his relations.” Thor poked at the console next to him, but drew his large hand back hurriedly when it beeped and changed the screen. 

“Many have pointed to that, along with his using magic, to accuse him of being unmanly. Even if we were to find any of his previous partners, I know not if they would willingly lie with a Jotun.”

“So racism and homophobia back home, strangers who may or may not have a grudge, or us.” Tony summed up. 

Bruce, Steve and Thor all made faces of disgust and dismay at this list of Loki’s unpalatable options. 

“This is not our problem,” Steve announced, very much in military mode. “We should just concentrate on locating the Tesseract. Any progress on that?”

“The model’s locked and we’re sweeping for the signature now,” Banner told him. “As soon as we get a hit, we’ll have the location within half a mile.”

“Selvig would know how to shield the signal till the last minute, though,” Tony reminded them, “And Barton is an expert at avoiding detection. I’d rather we had at least some clue before they are ready to power up their portal.”

“Thor, has Loki said anything that might help?” Steve pleaded.

“Nothing. Your Director Fury has requested that I allow Lady Natasha to speak to her alone. Perhaps a woman will be able to reach Loki, where I only fuel her madness.”

“Uh-huh,” Tony grunted, doubtfully. He didn’t think Romanov was exactly planning on girl talk. With a few brisk taps and swipes to his monitor, he opened a new window, calling up the security cameras and microphones from the room where Loki was being held, just in time to hear Loki saying, “There are not many people who can sneak up on me.”


	6. Chapter 6

Standing well out of reach, Natasha warily watched Loki pacing at the end of the chains tethered to her wrists. The blue-skinned god... goddess? now wore a long, green and black cotton sarong that Stark had provided. It clung to Loki’s new curves as she moved, twirling out around her legs as she spun to face her visitor.

“There are not many people who can sneak up on me,” Loki didn’t seem pleased to have been caught off guard, but she gave the Black Widow a manic smirk, trying to seem unaffected.

“But you figured I’d come,” Tasha soothed. The more Loki thought herself in control of this, the more likely she was to let something slip.

“Thor is determined to convince me that I am a woman,” Loki scoffed scornfully, “Thus he sends a woman, as a friend, as a balm, and I would cooperate, and spread my legs like one.”

“Thor didn’t send me,” Tasha informed her, evenly. “I don’t care what Thor wants, and I don’t care what you want, either. I want to know what you’ve done to Agent Barton.”

Loki rocked back at this, but recovered almost instantly, “I’d say I expanded his mind,” she gloated, giving the chain a quick, savage yank.

Tasha took two quick steps back, as if in fear, and was rewarded with Loki’s broad smile. She repressed an urge to roll her eyes, instead making them as wide and scared. She wondered if Loki was this easy to manipulate, normally. Thor had gone on at great length about his clever brother, but she suspected that being able to outwit Thor was not an especially difficult accomplishment. First, she needed to keep stroking Loki’s ego, make her feel powerful.

Putting on a resolute expression, she slowly moved forward again. “And once you’ve won? Once you’re king of the mountain? What happens to his mind?”

Some of the stress and tension melted out of Loki, and she smiled more sincerely, if just as insane. “Is this love, Agent Romanov?” she mocked.

“Love is for children,” Tasha lied, guessing that Loki didn’t think much of the concept. “I owe him a debt.”

Amused now, Loki backed up and took a seat on the rumpled bed. “Tell me.”

Crossing her arms, Tasha drew in a long breath and began, “Before I worked for SHIELD, I uh, I made a name for myself.”

She moved to a nearby chair and also sat, so she and Loki would be eye to eye. More like confidants. “I have a very specific skill set. I didn’t care who I used it for. Or on.”

Loki was watching her intently, her hands idly twisting in the loose fabric of her wrap.

“I got on SHIELD’s radar in a bad way,” Tasha told her. “Agent Barton was sent to kill me.” She let her voice quaver here. “He made a different call.”

The goddess glanced away. Thinking? “And what will you do if I vow to spare him?” she asked, softly, almost compassionately.

“Not let you go,” Tasha replied, faking a nervous laugh.

“No, but I like this.” Loki leaned forward, grinning evilly, “Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man?”

Feigning perfect indifference, Tasha said, “Regimes fall everyday. I tend not to weep over that; I’m Russian, or I was.”

“And what are you now?” Loki inquired, absorbed as a fox spying an injured bird. Nothing caught a predator’s attention like a show of weakness.

“It’s really not that complicated,” Tasha argued, standing up, raising her voice, pushing Loki to up the game with a slight show of aggression. “I’ve got red in my ledger. I’d like to wipe it out.”

“Can you?” Loki asked, curiously. “Can you wipe out that much red? Dreykov’s daughter, Sao Paulo, the hospital fire? Barton told me everything.” The words were knives, meant to wound, and they did. She let the goddess see her bleed.

Loki stood, walking towards her, her eyes cold and hard. “Your ledger is dripping. It’s gushing red,” Her words were rushed, strident. “And you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?”

Tasha wasn’t certain, but she suddenly didn’t think Loki was wondering about anybody’s ledger but her own. Was there guilt lurking far down under the blasted out facade? Did Loki need to justify what she had done to Barton by his past as an assassin?

Now Loki was back to being angry. “This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer. Pathetic!” she spat.

“You lie, and kill, in the service of liars and killers,” Loki continued, voice turned arctic cold. “You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away.”

The goddess was now only a single pace away, her eyes burning but unfocused. Suddenly she wrenched the chain with enough force to make the steel pillars boom with the strain. She leaned towards Tasha, quivering with hatred.

“I won’t touch Barton,” Loki snarled, low and animalistic, “Not till I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he’ll wake, just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I’ll split his skull.”

Letting her very real horror show, Tasha backed up.

“This is my bargain, you mewling quim!” Loki shouted, straining at the end of her bonds.

“Mewling quim,” Natasha echoed flatly, straightening, staring at Loki, who was trembling, panting ever so slightly. “Is that really what you think of me?”

She brought up a hand and caught the zipper of her SHIELD uniform and started to slowly pull it down. The sound was loud in her ears, and she felt a chill prickle across every inch of the skin she was exposing.

“Is that what you want from me?” she asked, her voice gone husky soft. “You want me to kneel to you, don’t you?” The zipper’s progress had been halted by her belt, so she moved to undo it, still keeping to a hypnotically slow pace. “You want me to beg, Loki? Because I will.”


	7. Chapter 7

“You think you can trick me?” Loki hissed at the nearly naked woman. He fought not to shiver as waves of heat and chills washed over him and his ridged, blue, Jotun cock stiffened to throbbing attention at her apparent offer. Women were not usually attractive to him, but the idea of her giving herself to him despite how much she clearly despised him was arousing. He wondered just how far she would let him go. He wanted to hurt her while she begged. “Barton told me all about you, mortal bitch.”

“Barton doesn’t know all about me,” Romanov answered, kicking aside her discarded clothing and cupping her breasts, lightly pinching her nipples to stiffness under the flimsy material. “There are a lot of things I never told him about myself.”

Of course there would be, Loki thought. Even lovers kept secrets from each other. But what was her game? “You can’t possibly think to convince me that you want to lie with a monster.”

“I told you what I want,” the woman said, without even a hint of desire. “Why don’t you tell me what you want?”

“I thought I made that clear. I want to rule your benighted little world.”

“But right now, would you settle for ruling just me, Loki? In exchange for Barton.” 

She took a small step nearer, putting herself almost within Loki’s reach, but not quite. At this distance, he could easily catch the smell of her skin, the soap and shampoo and deodorant she used, along with an acrid tang of the fear she wouldn’t admit, and the musk of a woman’s sex.

“You know we are being watched,” Loki reminded them both. “Would you truly give yourself to me, let me do as I like, while all your colleagues look on? Let them see you beg and cry? Are you without shame?”

“I’m not ashamed to beg for what I want,” Romanov answered, unfastening the bra and loosing her breasts. Loki had never especially cared about breasts, now he had an unwanted pair of his own. He wanted to punish this woman for that, and for her assumptions, and her arrogance. His own breasts seemed very tender. Sensitive. His mouth watered to suckle hers, then sink his teeth into them and make her scream for mercy.

“You might not get what you want, no matter how much you beg,” he warned. It might be entertaining to promise her Barton’s freedom, then renege after he’d allowed her to do whatever degrading act he could conceive, but oh, if she would lower herself without his even having to lie, that was so much better.

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“Come closer, then,” Loki smiled. “Let us negotiate.”

She didn’t move. “Lie back on the bed, please?”

“I think I would prefer to begin right here,” Loki informed her.

“But I don’t trust you not to kill me,” she replied, sliding her thumbs under the waistband of the tiny panties and slowly rolling them down her shapely legs to reveal that she was indeed a natural redhead, though the patch of coppery pubic hair was trimmed small and neat. She turned as she stepped out of the underwear, giving him a good view of her tight, rounded ass.

It was so direct and flattering that Loki grinned. “Very wise of you, Agent Romanov. But I fail to see how you can give me everything I want, if I’m to be the one tied down and helpless.”

“You just tell me what to do and I’ll do it,” she promised. “As long as Clint is under your spell, you have all the power.”

“Hardly that,” Loki chuckled, but he lay back down on the bed, and was unsurprised when the chains wound taut again without a command being given, at least not by Romanov. He wondered idly who their audience might be. Fury? Stark? Might Thor be watching? That was a delicious idea. Let him see how easily these mortals bowed to their betters. Maybe he would offer them the Tesseract in exchange for Thor’s woman. It would almost be worth it.

Thinking herself safe, the mortal now came over to the bed and climbed up to kneel between his legs, her hand gliding up his thighs and pushing the borrowed wrap aside until his cock was free to leap up towards her whorish painted lips where she bowed down to meet it. Her breath was hot against him, she was so close, and her hair fell forward to veil her blue gray eyes. Her hands moved up towards Loki’s chest, exploring and testing.

“No!” Loki gasped angrily. He would not have the breasts touched. He would not accept them, or look at them, or allow anyone else to see or touch them. They were a lie. Even more of a lie than everything else about him. “Put your hands behind your back!”

“Whatever you want,” she said, and did, letting the soft skin of her cheek brush over the leaking head of his cock, and a quick slide of slick, burning tongue tracing the new ridges of the shaft. 

Loki shuddered wildly at the unfamiliar sensitivity of those raised lines, his hips rising, thrusting against her face, feeling her hair winding around him before she drew back and engulfed him to the hilt in one long, smooth motion.

~~~~~~

“Tony, you need to turn that off right now!” Steve was yelling, trying to block the screen with his body, but since it was a holograph, the picture of the Black Widow swallowing Loki’s alien cock were projected weirdly across his red, white and blue torso.

“I should really- I need to-” Bruce’s eyes were flicking around the room for a distraction, or possibly an escape, but he still wasn’t headed for the door or anything.

“Is the Lady Natasha attempting to begin the cure for my bro-my sister’s condition, or is this some deception?” Thor demanded, not certain if he should be grateful or outraged.

“She knows she’s on camera,” Tony reasoned. “We need to be analyzing this for possible advantages!”

“It’s indecent!” Captain America was now trying to block the hologram with his shield, which actually served as a better screen than his body, but kept swooping around as he tried to block and look at it at the same time.

“If this is a trick, I do not understand it,” Thor admitted. “Maybe it is meant to help.”

“I have no idea what she’s up to,” Tony started, but was interrupted by Jarvis. 

“Sir, I have been monitoring SHIELD’s communication network, and it would seem that the Heliocarrier is under attack.”

“Like that wasn’t predictable,” Tony groaned, mostly at the terrible timing.

“Indeed,” Thor boomed. “Should we not go to their aid, friend Tony?”

“Yes, we should,” Rogers said, emphatically.

Tony sighed. “What’s their location, Jarvis?”

The AI gave coordinates, replacing the image of Loki’s ‘interrogation’ with a map of the north Atlantic ocean, zooming in on a little 3D model of the SHIELD craft that was hovering out in the middle of nowhere, well away from any land or inhabited area.

“It’ll probably be all over by the time we can get there, but I guess we should, just in case,” Tony agreed.

“Should we inform Agent Romanov sir?” Jarvis inquired. “Agent Barton is believed to be leading the attack.”

Stark winced. Thor looked stricken.

“Tell her,” Steve ordered.

~~~~~~

 As long as Loki kept his eyes closed, he could lose himself in the pleasure of fucking the warm, wet mouth of a woman who hated him, but still sucked him as if it were her purpose in life. The only thing that could been better was if it had been Sif, not some mortal woman. He let himself imagine Sif instead, her haughty face flushed with shame, her eyes furious even as she parted those ever-frowning lips for him. Maybe he would offer to let her save Thor. Sif was far more devoted to Thor than this mortal woman was to Barton. She would be so indignant, so disgusted. Maybe he would even make her suck him in this form. Make her gag on a cold blue prick. How she would squirm and curse him, and threaten his life.

A gasp escaped him at this image in his mind, and he wrenched back, fisting his hands around the chains holding him in place, wishing he could plunge his fingers into this woman’s hair instead and hold her in place. Gritting his teeth, he dragged in deep breaths, barely holding to his control. He wasn’t ready to come just yet. Let Romanov work at it. She had yet to beg, after all, and as long as her lips and tongue and lightly rasping teeth were working him, he could ignore the strange, needy throbbing between his legs.

“Agent Romanov?” 

The voice from the ceiling was a very unwelcome intrusion, and Loki snarled when the woman stopped pleasuring him to answer.

“Yes, Jarvis?”

“I was told to inform you that there has been an attack on the heliocarrier.” 

Which was not where Loki was, judging by Romanov’s reaction, and the decided lack of alarms. So Barton had decided to continue with their original plan. That was somewhat disappointing.

“When?” 

“The attack was announced on the ship’s internal communication systems six minutes, twenty-one seconds ago, and is still in progress.”

“Any idea as to who is responsible?”

“Unconfirmed reports would seem to indicate Agent Barton.”

“Chyort voz'mi!” she burst out, sitting up.

Scuffling sounds as she got up off the bed made Loki open his eyes. The woman was getting dressed! 

“Agent Romanov,” Loki called out, “We were not finished.”

Spinning around, she gave him such a look of contempt as to make Sif proud. 

“Tell me how to get him back!”

“No,” Loki refused, grinning. “But I like your mouth, Romanov. I would be willing to keep you, along with your lover.”

“If anything happens to him,” she warned, zipping back into her suit, “I’ll be back with knives instead.”

“You should really stay and finish what you started, if you want my help!” he called after her as she hurried out the door. He had just long enough to laugh at her petty attempts to manipulate him before the door swung shut.

It had all been very amusing, but now he was alone again, so hard it was painful, and unable to even touch himself. So perhaps not the best possible outcome, after all.


	8. Chapter 8

 

After the woman had left him alone, half-naked and painfully hard, Loki had gloated at first, despite his discomfort, but as time stretched on, his body would not subside and his mind would not stop gnawing at him that what Thor had told him might be true, that the secret heart of him was not merely treacherous and violent by nature, but also no more than an animal in rut, his mind overturned by rampant lust.  The thought was intolerable.

To distract himself, he spoke to whoever was listening.  Someone had to be listening, didn’t they?  He poured out barbed insults for every individual Barton had briefed him about: Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, the pitiful Bruce Banner(who he had not seen, but Barton had seemed sure he would be recruited to combat the threat Loki had brought).  Hawkeye knew more about them than they perhaps knew, and Loki took great delight in using those secrets to shame and sow antipathy, and set them against each other.  He saved his most spiteful invective for Thor, for he knew his not-brother best, and exactly where to stick his verbal knives and twist.

No one answered.  No one came to admonish him, or threaten him, or silence him, not even when he moved on to threats, each more vicious and violent than the last, and his voice rose to a shout, and then to a scream.

_ How dare they ignore me?  Am I not a king?  Do they not want my secrets?  Do they not want to protect their precious world from me? _

He was howling like a mindless thing, writhing and gnashing his teeth, when the door finally opened.

Loki froze, trying to breath evenly, trying to face whichever jailor had calmly, even if he was naked and aroused, with tears drying on his cheeks.  But it was not a person that came through the door, but some kind of machine.  It rolled forward, motors whirring, extending a long arm ending in a three-fingered, blunt-tipped claw.

Loki stared, hiccuping in surprise, as the claw rotated, opening to reveal a lens that focused on him in an almost lifelike manner.  It came closer and closer, and it took all the self control he could muster not to cower when the claw reached for him.  But instead of touching him, it captured the dislodged blankets and, slowly, clumsily, it tugged them back over his nude body, tucking him in.  Then it moved off in the direction of the bathroom, and returned a few minutes later with a glass of water, which it held for him to drink, only spilling a little.

“Do you require any other assistance?” The voice- Jarvis, Loki remembered, spoke dispassionately.  This must be Stark Tower.  Barton had mentioned that the man kept machines instead of servants, and had made a cursory mention of a ‘computerized butler’.  Loki wondered how clever this machine might be.  Could he trick it somehow into releasing him?

“Where is my brother?” The word was out before he thought.  _Cursed habit._  

“Thor Odinson accompanied Sir to the heliocarrier to help combat the attack on that vessel.  Agent Romanov and Captain Rogers have followed them in Sir's private heliocopter.”

“And Banner?” Loki asked, fishing.

Jarvis only repeated, “Do you require any other assistance?”

“I require you to release me at once. It is urgent.” 

“I will restore your increased mobility, if you are feeling calmer,” Jarvis countered.  The chains unwound, and the arm machine rolled back, out of reach as Loki sat up, retying the wrap.

“I will die if you don’t release me at once, machine!  I am ill!”

“I am monitoring your vital signs,” Jarvis answered, unperturbed, “and this does not seem likely.  I will, however, forward your request for medical attention to Sir, and to SHIELD, if he so authorizes.”

Loki bared his teeth at the ceiling.

“Will there be anything else?”

“No.”

 

~~~~~~~

  

Nick Fury was absolutely apoplectic, and his SHIELD minions were all tiptoeing around him like a live volcano, which Tony would have found pretty amusing, if not for the fact that it was happening in his tower. 

Clint Barton had managed to knock out the helicarrier by blowing one engine and planting some kind of virus(a very elegant little bit of code) that had temporarily disabled another, causing it to fall rather slowly, but with a maximum amount of chaos and confusion, during which the archer had stolen Loki’s scepter, used it on the scientists who had been studying it, and eighteen other agents, including Phil Coulson, and they had all absconded into the wild blue yonder while Thor helped Tony get the damaged engine started.  They had managed to get it down safely, but it was not much more useful than any other aircraft carrier until they had affected some extensive repairs.  Miraculously, no one had died, though there had been a lot of injuries, both from mind-slaved agents and falls.

Natasha had gone even blanker at the news about Coulson, and had wanted to go after them herself, but Fury had ordered her back to the tower.

“They know where Loki is now,” he’d snapped.  “I expect at least some of them to come to us.” 

Which was likely, Tony admitted, but he still didn’t see why his Tower had to be crawling with SHIELD operatives running around like paramilitary ninja types.  He was already hosting the Black Widow, a Norse god(or two, depending on how you looked at it), Captain America, and Bruce (The Hulk) Banner. Not to mention he was Iron Man, Jarvis was well-armed and ever vigilant, and the ninjas hadn’t been of a whole lot of use before.

Stark had made that argument and been ignored.  It was almost enough to make him tell Fury to take Loki and fuck off to some heavily fortified secret government facility, except he didn’t trust them with the crazy blue god(goddess?).  Besides, he was invested in figuring this out now.  And Pepper liked Coulson.

So they were wasting time having another meeting, this time in one of Tony’s conference rooms.

“Stark,” Fury began, “Have you and Banner made any progress tracking the Tesseract?”

“We had a signal from somewhere along the eastern seaboard before the attack, but we weren’t able to triangulate,” Bruce said, taking off his glasses to clean them on the hem of his shirt. 

Fury glowered. “Why the hell not?” 

“We needed a second signal,” Tony said.

“Can’t you get one?”

“That’s the problem,” Bruce huffed.  “We’ve got dozens of hits now.”

“How is that a problem?” Fury wanted to know.

“They can’t all be real,” Stark explained.  “Did you tell your scepter study group how we were trying to track the cube, by any chance?”

Fury’s single eye bugged out a little more under the force of his rage.  “So that brings us back to trying to get answers out of Loki.”

Bruce mumbled something about searching using different instruments, but Fury wasn’t interested.

“Agent Romanov, how do you feel about resuming your interrogation?”  


“Is that what you call it?” Bruce muttered.

“Sir, I have to object to Agent Romanov’s methods,” Captain Virtue spoke up.  “It’s demeaning!”

“To who?” Stark quipped, though no one paid him any attention.

“Rogers,” Fury struck the table with his fist. “I’ve lost two of my best assets, and I have fuck all for intel.  Romanov is the best at getting it.  The best.  I trust her to do her job, and you should too.”

“Her job shouldn’t be prostituting herself to the enemy!”  Rogers nearly shouted. 

“I do what I have to do,” Natasha declared, fixing a withering look at Steve.  “Would you rather I got the information by fucking Loki or pulling out his fingernails?”

Thor shot to his feet. “I will not allow Loki to be harmed!” 

“And I will not allow this world to be endangered for the sake of a lunatic!” Fury retorted, also standing, his black trench coat spreading around him like spilled ink.

“Okay, okay,” Tony decided it was time for him to step in and be the voice of reason.  “My tower, my rules.  No prostitutes and no nail pulling.”

“Just what do you suggest we do, Stark?” Fury inquired sarcastically.  

Tony shrugged and smiled.  “I think I should go and have a talk with Loki.” 

“No, Tony...” Bruce groaned.

“What kind of ‘talk’?” Steve asked, in a manner that implied he didn't trust Tony.  Tony would have been hurt by that, if he'd given a damn what the super soldier thought of him.

Thor was all for it.  “I will accompany you!”

“Um.  No.  Sorry, Point Break,” Tony patted Thor on the shoulder.  “I think this might go better without you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos desperately appreciated! Let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sex at last.

It wasn’t that easy, of course. Everybody wanted to argue, or discuss, or give Tony a long list of ‘thou shalt nots’, even though it was his tower, and he was a freaking genius. Tony pretended to listen for a while before he got bored and stopped pretending. He played with his phone long enough to let everyone get ticked off before making his case.

“I am going to talk to her. Maybe we have some things in common. Thor says this Thanos guy was holding Loki prisoner for a long time. Maybe it wasn’t her choice to come here, or not her first choice. I know what that’s like. Besides,” he eyed Fury, “you and Romanov are too pissed to play good cop, Steve is too nice to play any kind of cop, Bruce is too busy and too likely to smash something if Loki gets mouthy, and Thor... Well, there are clearly some family issues, and I can relate to that too.”

“Just talking,” Rogers warned sternly.

Tony flashed his million watt smile and winked. “You bet.”

~~~~~

Showered, shaved and dressed in clean jeans and a Black Sabbath tee shirt, he let himself into the suite they had modified to host a crazy demigod. It was one of the highly reinforced safe rooms that were scattered throughout building, because Tony believed in being prepared. It was a goddamned luxurious safe room, because he believed in being comfortable, too.

After a quick look to ascertain that Loki was sitting on the bed, still safely tethered, Tony went to a wide ebony and chrome cabinet that opened up into a fully stocked bar, complete with a cooler and ice maker. “Would you like a drink?” he called over his shoulder.

“Do you hope to appeal to my humanity? Befriend me by getting me drunk?” There was a rustle of sheets, and soft clink of metal links. “Your pathetic mortal liquor does nothing for me.”

“It’s not about getting you blitzed, Blitzen,” Tony snorted, as he fixed himself a scotch on the rocks. “Maybe just a little relaxed. I’ve got some vodka here that might take the edge off.”

“The Chitauri are coming. Nothing can change that. It matters not what you do to me.”

“So no drink? You sure? I’m having one.” Loki did not repeat her refusal, but continued to stare sullenly at him. The red eyes did ‘baleful’ extremely well, Tony decided.

Dragging over a chair, he slouched well within conversational distance and trusted Jarvis to keep Loki from getting close enough to strangle him with the chains. After a sip of his drink, he started, “So, what would you like to talk about?”

Loki looked startled, then suspicious. “Why should I tell you anything?”

“No reason,” Tony replied agreeably. “This isn’t an interrogation. I don’t do that kind of thing. I just thought you might want to talk. Not like therapy or any bullshit like that. More like a get drunk and compare war stories about shitty families or evil assholes who hold you prisoner and torture you into trying to blow things up for them. That kind of thing.”

“You think to compare your suffering to mine?” Loki growled.

“It’s not a competition,” Tony shot back. “Just an invitation to bitch about it, if you want. I’m sure you’ve suffered much more than I have.”

“I have,” Loki sulked at him. “Wretched mortal, what I have been through would have killed you a thousand times over.”

“Figured,” Tony nodded, sipping again. “Probably took a hell of a lot to break you. They only had to nearly drown me a couple of times before I told the Ten Rings I’d do what they wanted.”

“They wanted you to build them weapons.” It was so flatly stated that Tony had no idea how Loki felt about it, if she felt anything.

“Right. Assholes tortured me and then gave me access to high explosives.” He grinned darkly. “My first thought was to blow that whole cave complex into a crater that would have been visible from space. I might have done that, if I hadn’t had someone there to help me get through it.”

Loki just looked at him. Tony plunged on, “I owe that guy my life, you know. He helped me build my first suit, and he got himself killed giving me time to escape. So what I’m getting at is, you don’t have to be alone now, if you don’t want to. This fix you’re in, I’ll help you get out of it, if you’ll let me.”

“Are you offering to give your life for mine, Tony Stark?” Loki smiled, saccharine sweet.

He ignored the sarcasm, because he would have also been a wiseass, in Loki’s place. “Maybe not just yet, but I am willing to help.”

“There is nothing you could possibly do to help me.” Loki’s refusal was despondent, her shoulders slumped she drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.

“I could-”

Her mood shifted again, lightning fast, to haughty anger. “I need nothing from you. Not from any of you. A king needs no one.”

“Pretty sure that’s not true, Lokes.” He held up both hands to forestall another tirade. “Let’s talk family, then, how ‘bout it?”

Loki’s eyes glittered with scorn. “I have no family.”

“Sure you do. You couldn’t be this screwed up if you didn’t, I’m sure. Nobody fucks you over like family.”

“I don’t-” Loki started heatedly, but Tony cut her off.

“Not that I blame you about being pissed off. The whole not telling you were adopted, not telling you you were a different race, that’s seriously shitty parenting.”

“I am not discussing-”

“But to raise you as a boy when you’re not,”

“Stark-”

“And then let everyone give you shit for not behaving like one,”

“I will rip out your tongue and beat you with-”

“And for wanting to sleep with men.”

“SHUT UP!” Loki’s shout rang painfully in Tony’s ears, making him think that super high volume shouting might be another godly power, like super strength and near immortality. He shut up, watching Loki’s chest heaving.

“That is not true,” Loki hissed at him. 

She was shaking, furious, but he kept pushing, because he was Tony Stark, and he could never leave broken things alone.

“Thor told us he didn’t know any of your lovers, because you had always been so ‘discreet’,” Tony pressed on, “And that you had a reputation for being ‘unmanly’, whatever the fuck that means.”

“It does not mean-”

“Which made me think that if you were sleeping with women, you’d be flaunting it, trying to ditch that rep.”

“I am NOT-”

“He also mentioned that story about the horse, and the wall builder.”

Loki exploded, “I did NOT let a horse fuck me!”

Tony took a fortifying gulp of scotch before prodding, “What about the builder?”

Loki glared venomously at him, clenching and unclenching her fists, but did not deny it.

“You did something, and prevented the guy from winning Freya. Did you offer yourself instead?”

“You know nothing, Stark.”

“And then Odin had the guy killed anyway. Was it because he was Jotun, or because he’d slept with his son?”

“It was because he was an enemy!” Loki’s voice cracked.

“Because he hurt you?”

“Because he was a MONSTER! Just like I am!”

Tony was out of the chair before he could think about what he was doing, lurching forward to cup Loki’s face between his hands and kiss her.

It was a good thing Jarvis was quick enough on the uptake to take up the slack in Loki’s restraints before she thought to rip his face off. This caused her to fall backwards onto the bed, and momentum brought him down with her.

“Mmm-mmph!” she protested, twisting her mouth from under his to cry, “What are you doing?”

“I thought that was obvious. I am kissing you.”

“Well, stop it!” She tried to buck him off, her red eyes gleamed like live coals. “Stop pretending. If you are going to try to fuck me into submission, I’d rather you just did it, instead of pretending I am not repulsive!”

Tony sat back, stroking her hair. “You are not repulsive, Loki.”

“Liar!”

“You’re not. You’re different, I’ll give you that, but still damned attractive.”

“Freakish, two sexed and blue?”

“I like blue, and I’m actually a little jealous of the other thing,” Tony told her, letting his hand continue slowly down her neck to her shoulder. “I mean, you get both sets of toys. That is so unfair.”

Loki stared at him, disbelieving. 

“You are a long way from ugly, Loki,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her again, very softly. 

When her mouth opened hungrily to him, he deepened the kiss, while his fingers undid the knot of her wrap. As his fingers moved to cup her breast, she whimpered.

“Shh..” he soothed, letting his lips drift down her throat, trailing kisses and gentle bites. She gasped, beginning to writhe. Taking his time, he used both thumbs to trace her nipples, smiling into her skin at the way they stiffened under his exploration. He moved to take one in his mouth.

Loki shuddered. “Don’t,” she protested, but it was a weak protest, not angry. Afraid, maybe.

Tony paused, nuzzling. “You want me to stop?”

“Mmmmm...” she groaned, which he decided to take for a ‘no’. Wrapping his lips around her nipple, he suckled.

Her body jerked, and she keened softly in pleasure. He kept one hand on her other breast, and let the other move over her stomach, down and down until his knuckles encountered the bobbing head of her erection. He trailed one finger down its length and Loki thrust up into his hand. He closed it around her shaft, noting the differences, the coolness, the raised lines, and the similarities. He was looking forward to tasting her.

“Should I stop?” he asked again. There was a click from above them, of the intercom turning on for someone other than his AI, and Tony cursed inwardly at what he assumed was going to be Fury giving him a definite ‘yes’ to that question.

“Don’t you dare stop,” Loki threatened, tangling her legs in his to hold him in place. No commands rang down from on high, either. 

Had Fury changed his mind, or had Jarvis cut him off? Tony didn’t much care, either way. 

It seemed Asgard didn’t go in for circumcision, and Loki’s foreskin was ridged as the rest of her cock, which made for an interesting tactile sensation. Her scent and taste were reminiscent of the melting ice, oceans and something akin to fruit. Better than fine wine, any time.

He had two fingers into her cleft, working her open and enjoying every little gasp and moan, and the way she tightened, then opened to him.

Kissing his way back up to her mouth, he demanded, “Do you want to, Loki? Do you want me to?”

“I hate you,” she informed him, biting at his mouth between kisses. “I hate you.”

“Okay,” he smiled. Plenty of women had told Tony that, before, after and during sex. Lots more than had ever said anything about love. That was fine with him. “You can hate me all you want, but if you want me to fuck you, you have to say so.”

“No..” She bucked again, her sex clutching tight around his questing fingers.

“No?” His mouth went to her nipples again, and her breathing went ragged. 

“No?” he asked again, rising up to look into her blazing eyes. “Want me to stop?”

“No, no, no, no!” She fought the cuffs. “Yes!”

“Is that ‘Yes, stop’ or ‘Yes, fuck me, Tony Stark’?” he teased.

“Fuck me, damn you!”

“You sure?” He skinned out of his shirt, and the glow of his arc reactor shone blue on blue off her skin.

“I will not say it again, Stark!”

"Jarvis, give us some privacy." Stark called out. 

"Yes, Sir," Jarvis responded. "Cameras have been disabled. I will maintain safety monitoring."

"That's fine." He pulled a condom from his jeans and held it between his teeth while he stripped them off. Loki watched him hungrily, Tony made a mental note not to get bitten. He suspected a love bite from Loki might take a chunk out of him.

He rolled the condom on and positioned himself, spreading her open with his knees. Wrapping his right hand firmly around her cock, he tangled his left hand into her night black hair and entered her slowly, not sure if there was an alien hymen to contend with.

It seemed not. She moaned in pleasure as her hips rode up to meet him. She was nice and tight, though. Tony smirked down at her as she fought to get him to thrust deeper, faster. Giving her cock a squeeze, he obliged, settling into a rhythm.

“This... means...nothing!” Loki panted between little gasps of pleasure. 

“Not a thing,” he promised. “Meaningless sex is my specialty.”

She tried to look angry and hateful, but was having a hard time with it. “I am not going to tell you anything!” 

“Okay, Loki.” He used his grip on her hair to turn her head so he could trace her neck and jawline in kisses.

“Oh..” She rocked her hips faster, on the cusp of coming. He increased his speed, raising her hips to sink further, groaning himself at how strong her inner muscles were. He tightened his grasp on her cock in retaliation and felt her inner walls spasm in a rolling wave that brought him to completion. Cool, pearlescent fluid spurted against his bare chest, spattering the arc reactor as she came a second time.

He dropped down on his side next to her, putting an arm across her stomach while he recovered.

“Not so bad, huh?” Tony’s voice was somewhat muffled by her arm, but he wasn’t quite ready to move.

“Not entirely unsatisfactory,” she replied, her cool aloofness marred by her lack of breath. “I may not kill you, later.”

“See, progress!” Tony crowed, tiredly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ******
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter has been edited to include Tony cutting the cameras after getting Loki's consent. I know it is still creepy to know they were being watched up to that point, but I felt the consent needed to be seen.
> 
> Feedback me, people. I love me some feedback, makes me want to write all the time! Also, I think I've got all the pronouns right, or right for what the characters think of as right as this moment, but if you see one that is off, let me know.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter, sorry. Work has picked up, and it may be a while before I post again, but I will make an effort to write a little per day, instead of my preferred method of sitting down for several hours straight and trying to pound out a whole chapter. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who bookmarked, left kudos and especially to those who comment.

~~~~~~~

 

Tony supposed it was too much to expect that a single bout of sex would cure their problem goddess. It had been damned good sex, considering Loki had been tied down and not able to help out much, and he’d rushed a bit, thinking Fury, or worse, Thor, was going to batter down the door before they were done. 

But, no, once the afterglow had faded and she’d caught her breath, Loki was just as psychotic and uncooperative as before, which Fury had not hesitated to mention, once he’d summoned Tony up to be judged and bawled out by the entire gang, sans Thor, who had preferred to talk to his sister first. It was like facing a court martial, or something, in his own damned tower. It was worse than a board meeting, even, especially since there was no Pepper there to be his buffer and moral support. Maybe that was a good thing, though, since he had a niggling worry she might be joining in the censure squad in this case.

“I ought to have you brought up on charges!” Fury was yelling.

“Hey, you didn’t have any problem with your agent getting sexually involved,” Tony pointed out. 

“Agent Romanov is one of our best interrogators,” the director snapped. “She knew what she was doing.”

“So did I,” Tony contended, “Unless your problem is with me actually finishing the job.”

He quirked a brow at Natasha. “Was your plan to get her begging for relief and then start asking questions?”

The Black Widow gave him a look nearly as venomous as her namesake.

“Just what did you think you were doing?” demanded Captain America. “Besides taking advantage of a prisoner.”

Tony pretended offense. “Hey, I got consent.”

“I don’t know if Loki could legally give consent, in the shape she’s in,” Bruce chided, looking even more disapproving than Steve. “Diminished capacity.”

“Look,” Tony straightened and summoned up all his limited patience. “Loki is crazy, granted, but Thor claims she was never evil before, and that she is also pretty smart. Natasha might have gotten something out of her, but she was also antagonizing her. I was trying to help her.”

“By having sex with her?” Steve asked, incredulously.

Fury considered this. “Playing the good cop?”

Tony rolled his eyes at how no one in SHIELD could ever think like a normal human being. “No. Actually trying to help.”

“I don’t see how that helped, Tony,” Bruce admitted.

“First off,” Tony held up one finger, “Loki thinks she’s repulsive. She’s been lied to all her life and told that what she is and what she wants are not just wrong, but monstrous. I wanted to prove to her that she’s not.”

“You couldn’t just tell her that?” Steve smacked the table in frustration.

“Actions speak louder than words, Cap,” Tony argued. “You can tell a woman she’s good-looking all day long, but nothing will get her to believe it like proving you want to sleep with her.”

“Sexist, Tony,” Bruce murmured, not quite under his breath.

Tony ignored him. “And two,” he held up another finger, “It might have worked. Thor says she needs to be ‘satisfied’, not that that isn’t vague as fuck.”

“So I guess you didn’t satisfy,” Steve said, schoolmarmishly nasty.

“Maybe you should give it a try, being supered up and all,” Tony shot back.

Bruce hesitantly spoke up, “I had an idea about that.”

“I am not having relations with a prisoner!” Steve yelped.

“No, no, not that,” Bruce soothed. “I meant the satisfaction thing.”

“Go on,” Tony urged.

Bruce took off his glasses, looked at them, then began cleaning them on his shirt. “Well, it might be that what was meant by ‘satisfaction’ was induced ovulation.”

Everyone else at the table looked at the scientist with various degrees of blank.

“Um,” Bruce offered his shy little smile, “Some species need a specialized stimulation to produce an egg, or they stay in estrus, or have frequent cycles of it.”

Fury latched on to this possible solution. “What kind of stimulation are we talking about, doctor?”

“It varies a good deal,” Bruce shrugged. “Male cats, for instance, have penile spines which stimulate the female to ovulate.”

“Spines?” Tony blinked.

“That must be why female cats always try to hit the males immediately after mating,” Natasha mused. “I always wondered.”

“Are you saying we need to use- What are you saying?” Steve bristled.

“I’m saying that we have no way of knowing what Loki would need without more information about his... her species.”

“Well, I can tell you that Loki doesn’t have spines,” Tony volunteered. “Though those ridges were kind of pronounced. Probably very stimulating, I’ll bet.”

“Not to mention,” Bruce overrode this, “Thor says Loki is not typical of his species, but it a kind of genetic variation that causes a more feminine form.”

“So the typical Jotun might have spines?” Tony guessed.

“It could be a chemical trigger,” Bruce shrugged. “It could be anything.”

Fury cleared his throat, ominously. “Has there been any progress on locating the Tesseract?”

Tony and Bruce both shook their heads. “We’re still getting dozens of ghost signals,” Tony explained. “The real cube might even be shielded again, half a world away.”

Fury grimaced. “We need answers, and Loki is still our only resource.”

“I’ll go back in,” Natasha offered, cold and expressionless. 

“Not just yet,” Fury put her off, turning to Bruce with a grim plea written across his scarred face. “Doctor Banner, I realize you are not comfortable with this situation, but we need you to see if you can get us something to work with.”

Bruce went stiff and wary. “How?”

“Can you at least examine Loki? See if you can get any idea of what might be needed to help her? Think of her as a suffering patient, if it helps.”

“I’m not a medical doctor,” Bruce tried to beg off.

“You’ve been practicing medicine, though,” Fury reminded him. “Doing a pretty good job of it, too.” He put up a hand to stay Bruce’s further protests, “Just have a look at her. Talk to her. Then decide where to go from there.”

“All right,” Bruce grudgingly agreed. “I’ll see her.”

“That’s all for now,” Fury got to his feet and stalked out.

Tony caught up to Bruce outside the door. “If you do decide to attempt stimulating her, just ask Jarvis to unlock the supplies. The room is fully stocked.”

Bruce gaped at him. “Fully stocked with what?”

“You know, drinks, snacks,” Tony shrugged, “Sex toys.”

“You already put sexual aids in Loki’s room?” Bruce’s voice rose to a near shout, and he looked ready to punch Tony.

Tony took a step back, just in case. “Not for her! All the safe rooms are stocked that way.”

“God, Tony!”

“What? You never know how long you might be stuck in one, or with who!” Tony pointed out. “Besides, Pepper said I had better not get caught having a quickie in any of the board rooms again.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have made a few edits to previous chapters. Mainly I have included some details to show that Loki's appearance has been more altered overall, to a more female or at least androgynous form, rather than a male with breasts, and I have allowed Tony to cut the cameras during the sex scene, though rather uncomfortably late in said scene.
> 
> This is a work in progress, and tags and warnings may change at any time. Also, there may be surprises that may be offensive to some. This fic may end up a train wreck, but I am going to ride it to the end.
> 
>  
> 
> *******

Bruce didn’t like elevators, but Stark Tower was ninety-three stories high, and for no discernible reason they were keeping Loki on the ninety-first floor, but having SHIELD briefings on the fifty-ninth, and that was just too many stairs.  While he could understand Tony wanting to keep Fury and his minions well away from his more confidential technology, he wondered why the billionaire was determined to keep Loki so close.  

At least it was a roomy elevator, big enough to transport easily two dozen people, or two Clydesdales, or one African elephant.  That didn’t mean he wished to share it with Steve Rogers, who had caught up to him and slipped inside just before the doors closed.

He made an effort to be courteous.  “What floor?”

“Eightieth,” the Captain replied. “There’s a supposed to be a gym.”

The buttons lit up with a warm amber glow under Bruce’s finger, and the elevator began to rise.

Three floors went by in uncomfortable silence before Rogers broke it.  “I could have used some more support in there, Dr. Banner.  I thought you agreed with me about Stark’s behavior being reprehensible.”

Loathe though he was to do it, Bruce played the Hulk card. “I really can’t get involved in arguments, Captain.”

“Right.  Sorry.”  Steve looked rightfully abashed, and Bruce wished he could prefer this kind of kid glove treatment to Tony’s ridiculous provocations.  It was only reasonable to avoid anything that might unleash the Other Guy, wasn’t it?

“But you do agree with me that it was immoral?”

“I don’t approve,” Bruce conceded, “But strangely, I do think Tony really does care about what happens to Loki.”

“He ought to be worrying more about the mission.  Loki isn’t the problem.  Finding the Cube is.”

“We are working on that,” Bruce shrugged.  “It would probably be useful if we could somehow get Loki’s cooperation, but I’m not counting on it.”

“I just can’t believe that Director Fury is letting him get away with this bullshit!” Steve fumed.

“He’s desperate for information.  If we don’t get some soon, he may do worse than that.  I think he might have already, if not for us.”

“You think he’d condone torture?”

“Desperate men do desperate things,” Bruce reminded him.  Still, Fury had chosen three people for his Avengers Initiative who would never put up with that.  Maybe it was meant as a message, or as a curb on his own worst inclinations.

The elevator halted at the eightieth floor.  Steve stepped off, but held the door open long enough to say. “That’s not going to happen. I won’t let it.”

Bruce nodded, and Steve strode off in search of punching bags to take his frustration out on.  As the doors shut again, Bruce’s pocket chirped unexpectedly.  Reaching inside, he discovered a Stark phone, displaying a text message.

** “Sorry about the sex toy joke.   **

** 51st floor is medical and labs, help yourself.  **

** Let Jarvis know if you need anything.” **

 

A weird feeling of relief washed through Bruce as he read it.  “Tony Stark, you are an ass,” he told the phone, putting it back in his pocket, and selecting a new destination on the elevator control pad.

The medical facilities were extensive, equipped at least as well as many ERs, with Xray machines, a basic pharmacy, a surgery, and anything a physician might need for sutures, broken bones, blood tests and infections.  At first, he assumed this was some private clinic that rented space, but there were no offices, or reception area, or anything that hinted at this being meant for more than a single person.

“Jarvis?” Bruce was not yet entirely comfortable talking to Tony’s AI.

“How may I help you, Dr. Banner?” the polite, cultured voice replied. 

“What is all this for?”

“Mr. Stark has an unfortunate lack of regard for his health, at times, and a disinclination to trust doctors,” Jarvis answered, with just a hint of disapproval.

“Billionaire genius with trust issues,” Bruce mused aloud.

“Yes, sir,” Jarvis agreed.  “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

Shaking out of his reverie, Bruce looked around again.  “I suppose there wouldn’t be any gynacological equipment, then.  MRI or CAT scanner?”

“No,” Jarvis answered. “Unfortunately, Mr. Stark’s arc reactor is not compatible with their use.  However, I have been instructed to order any materials you need.”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean a CAT scanner, Jarvis,” Bruce chuckled nervously at the thought of casually ordering a multimillion dollar diagnostic machine as if it were Chinese takeout. 

“Mr. Stark made no restrictions, but if you prefer, I will get his approval first.”

“No, wait!” Bruce gulped back panic.  “Let’s not jump the gun.  I think a simple exam and some blood work will be enough to start.” 

 He went back to the main exam room and started opening cabinets and drawers, assembling what he would need.  “Would you ask Thor if he can bring Loki here?”

“Very well, Dr. Banner.”  There was a brief delay.  “Mr. Odinson says he will bring his sibling down as soon as they have finished their meal.”

“Good.  Thanks.”  He went back to making his preparations, but a niggling thought kept distracting him until Bruce finally decided to just ask.

“Jarvis?”

“Yes, Dr. Banner?”

“There aren’t any sex toys in the safe rooms, right?”

Jarvis did not reply for several seconds.  “As Mr. Stark did furnish them with the intention of using them for possible trysts, there are,” the AI admitted, rather primly. “But they are not accessible without authorization from Mr. Stark or myself.  Would you prefer that they be removed from Loki’s rooms?”

Bruce gritted his teeth.  He didn’t see any chance of that happening without more people finding out that the damned things had been there in the first place.  “Just make sure they stay hidden.”

“Of course, Dr. Banner.”

 

~~~~~~

 

_Heat, heat, heat_ , Loki’s mind chanted the word endlessly as he stood beneath the shower, letting the cold water soak his tangled hair and soothe his burning skin.  Thor had claimed Loki was ‘in heat’, like a beast.  Which was what he was.  He could wash this not-his body with his eyes screwed shut to ignore the blue, but everywhere his hands touched, he felt the changes, the raised lines, the breasts, the new proportions of his limbs and face, and the woman’s gate between his legs.

He soaped it carefully, washing away the stink of sex, and Stark, trying to ignore how it ached with the memory of being filled, or with the longing to be filled again.

A soft clink of armor against the marble of the walls reminded him that Thor was still watching.  He had offered a modicum of privacy at first, but Loki had not been able to resist trying to break the restraining cuffs against the walls.  The walls had broken instead, and Thor had charged in from his watch outside the open bathroom door.  The metal rail mounted inside the shower had made for a pathetic weapon, but it had still been satisfying to slam it into Thor’s wretched face. 

Thor hadn’t even been bruised, of course, and now he would not go away and leave Loki alone and naked and too hot, despite the icy spray.

“Stark did not hurt you, did he?” Thor’s voice was carefully neutral.

Loki knew he should say yes.  How easy it would be to stoke Thor into a rage for his ‘sister’s’ honor, especially since the golden prince had to be feeling at least some shame for his part in it.  He should turn Thor against Stark, against Fury.  Divide and conquer.  Make them all weak, like he was weak.  Make them suffer like he was suffering.  Make them all burn.

Instead, he turned his face back into the stream.  “Leave me alone.  I want to be alone, Thor!”

“You know I can’t do that.”  Again, the sound of metal and leather and restless Thunder God.  The sharp scent of ozone competed with the smell of soap and shampoo, indicating Thor’s mood.  “I arranged for food to be brought.  Won’t you come out and eat something?”

Loki reluctantly opened his eyes and shut off the water.  He was not hungry, but he was tired of imagining Thor staring at his grotesque nude body, trying to pretend it was still his devoted little brother.

“Do I need to keep my strength up to be whored out to your new friends?”

“They are only trying to help.”

“They are only helping themselves,” Loki retorted, snatching the large fluffy towel from Thor’s grip and covering himself, then using a second, smaller towel to dry his skin and hair.  “They all want to use me, just like you and Odin have always used me!  Be our diplomat, Loki.  Do your tricks for us, but never forget your place, which is beneath us, Jotun slut!”

“Loki-” 

Thor reached for him, but he ducked away, eyes scanning the room for some new weapon and finding nothing more threatening than a tooth brush.

“If you would just give up the Tesseract...”  Thor warily held out a luxuriant, dark green bathrobe, which Loki yanked from his hands and put on, cinching the belt tight.

The voice in the ceiling spoke, “Excuse me, Mr. Odinson.”

They both looked up, but Loki caught himself before he could speak, at least, so Thor alone answered, “Yes?” 

“Dr. Banner has asked if you would bring Loki to the infirmary for an exam.”

“Tell him we shall join him in this healing room once we have eaten.”

“I am not hungry,” Loki said firmly.  “We can go now.”

“I am,” Thor countered, stubborn as always. “You should at least try, Loki.  There is fruit, and sweets.  I know how you like sweets.”

“You know NOTHING!” Loki retorted, ducking out the door before Thor could lay hands on him again.  But Thor was right behind him, and incessant.  Loki ate a few bites of fruit, and a small cake with sugar frosting and spices, just to shut him up.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Silence = Disapproval. I need affirmation. I need it bad.
> 
> *******


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruce is more sensitive than the other Avengers, and smart, too.
> 
>  
> 
> ******

~~~~~~

 

Despite his misgivings, Bruce could not help but feel intense curiosity as Thor led his adopted sibling into the exam room. How could he not? These were actual aliens, even if only Loki looked the part. Aliens who had access to technology so advanced it resembled magic. The opportunities to learn were fantastic, and a little daunting.

Or maybe a lot daunting, he corrected himself, observing as Loki’s drawn features warped into an overbright, manic smile.

Thor noticed it as well, and rushed to introduce them, “Loki, this is Banner, a healer and a seiðmaðr, like yourself.”

“I’m a scientist, actually,” Bruce averred, politely. “Please, have a seat.” He directed Thor to a chair, and with trepidation, Loki to the exam table.

Loki stepped away from Thor’s attempt to help and hopped up on the table, smile sharpening another few degrees. “I know who he is. The beast, making play he’s still a man. Though I suppose I have little room to talk.”

“You should not speak so, Loki,” Thor chided. “Banner has been greatly concerned for your welfare. He was most wroth with Stark for his taking liberties.”

Ruby eyes rolled upward. “He has not been most wroth, Thor. If he were, he would be much larger, and greener, and there would be smashing and screaming and smoke rising to the skies.” Loki looked at Bruce like a hungry wolf spying a rabbit far from its bolt hole. “I would very much like to see it.”

Nervously, Bruce cleared his throat. “I would rather we talked about you, and what we might do to help.”

“What makes you think you can help me?” Loki inquired, folding cuffed hands in his lap. “From what I’ve been told, you have had precious little success in helping yourself.”

“Well, we won’t know unless we try,” Bruce said, inwardly agreeing with Loki’s point. “Before we get started, would you prefer to be identified as male, or female?”

Thor jumped in. “I have tried to explain that Loki was deceived by the All-Father’s glamor-”

Bruce cut him off with raised hands, “You did explain, Thor, but Loki has the attributes of both genders, and I think it should be Loki’s decision.”

“But she is only fertile as a female,” Thor insisted, flummoxed.

“We don’t assign gender based only on fertility, though,” Bruce explained.

Loki’s eyes narrowed. “You will refer to me as a man if I wish it?”

“Absolutely. Do you prefer that?”

“Are you attempting to humor me?” Anger and agitation kept Loki moving restlessly, eyes glancing everywhere, like swerving lasers. “I wish you to refer to me as male, as Aesir, and as your lord and master.”

“Loki,” Thor remonstrated, looking worried and sad.

Bruce felt his mouth bending up at the corners. “Let’s just stick with the gender label for the moment. Even if Loki is biologically female, by some definitions, he may choose to identify as male. We let people do that on this planet. In the more enlightened countries, anyway.”

“And you have the nerve to pretend I am the delusional one,” Loki laughed.

Thor shifted forward in his chair, looking earnestly at Bruce. “I confess I do not understand this.”

“There are people, here on Earth, who feel strongly that they were born the wrong gender, and prefer to live as the other. Some of them just assume the dress and manners of their preferred gender, and some have reassignment surgery, which gives them the appearance of whichever role they feel they should be.” 

Both Loki and Thor looked confused and skeptical. Bruce took a breath and plunged on. “Since Loki has lived as male all this time, I’m thinking that if that is what he preferred, the ‘spell’” he could barely make himself say that ridiculous word, but that was how Thor had explained it, “Could be restored, and Loki could go back to living as male.”

“I do wish it,” Loki hissed.

Thor was less certain. “But this was what has caused her madness.”

“I am not mad, you brainless cretin!” 

“Do you still believe you can rule this world?” Thor challenged. “With an army borrowed from the lover of Death?”

“Oh, I can. Believe me, Thor. I will take-”

Bruce raised his voice to put a stop to their incipient argument. “Hold it!” 

They turned to look at him, red eyes and blue equally annoyed.

“Loki, do you prefer to be thought of as a man?”

“I prefer to be thought of as a god,” Loki jeered.

“A male god?” Bruce held to the point.

Loki gave in and gave a straight answer. “Yes, I would be thought of as male!”

A frown scrunched Thor’s affable features. “Does this mean you do not enjoy sex with men? Was Stark not right in his reasoning?”

Bruce tried to tell the Thunder God, “Actually, that has nothing to do with-”

Loki lunged, catching up a stainless steel tray and letting its gleaming, sterile instruments scatter like so much expensive trash as he swung it at Thor’s head.

Swiftly getting out of the way of the ensuing scuffle, Bruce clung to his patience with all his willpower, eyes shut, head down, focused on keeping his breathing even and his pulse slow, despite the crashing and yelps and muffled sounds of flesh striking flesh. 

Once things had quieted to only someone else’s harsh breathing, Bruce risked a look up, to take in the not unexpected sight of Thor kneeling behind Loki, trapping him in the circle of his arms, holding both wrists. What was less expected was how Loki’s head was thrown back against his brother’s shoulder, exposing the long line of his throat. His eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted. The struggle had loosened Loki’s robe, and looked to be in danger of falling open. 

“I am sorry,” Thor told Bruce, attempting to pull Loki back to his feet. Loki fought him, but without much effort, and only when it seemed Thor might be relaxing his hold.

“Loki, you must calm yourself and allow Banner to help you,” he pleaded.

“Why don’t you just hold onto him for the time being?” Bruce suggested.

Loki’s eyes opened enough for him to peer out distrustfully, but he stayed still and seemed to relax. 

“I’ll make sure everyone respects your choice to be thought of as male,” he promised Loki. “Even Thor.”

“If it will help, I will gladly call you my brother again,” Thor volunteered.

Loki tossed back his head, either in contempt or a failed effort at breaking Thor’s nose, but quickly subsided again.

“I guess it wouldn’t be safe to do this without your help,” Bruce said to Thor, as the Asgardian resumed his chair, now with his brother in his lap, “But I think it might be better if you don’t say anything else. I need to know ask Loki some questions.”

“I will hold my tongue,” Thor agreed.

“Not likely,” Loki smirked, from the cage of his brother’s arms.

Bruce took a moment to gather up the spilled instruments and set them aside for the time being, then took his own seat.

“So, Loki,” he began. “What can you tell me about how you are feeling? Are you in any pain?” He nodded at Loki’s bare blue feet, “Are you warm enough?”

Eager to help, Thor forgot he was supposed to keep quiet. “He was complaining of the warmth in his room earlier.”

“Is that right?” Bruce asked Loki, deciding that mentioning Thor’s lapse would probably just waste more time. “Do you feel hot? Feverish? Any chills?”

“Perhaps,” Loki evaded.

His promise completely forgotten, Thor contributed, “Jotunheim is a cold world, but the Fro- Jotuns wear very little, so it would make sense for them to feel discomfort in warmer climes.”

“Maybe, Thor, but please let your brother answer for himself,” Bruce urged.

“Loki? Do you think you are feverish? Do you feel sick in any other way? Nausea? Headache or muscle aches?”

“No.” 

Running through a series of routine diagnostic questions, Bruce got up and took Loki’s temperature, pulse and blood pressure, though he had no way of knowing what ‘normal’ was for him. He did notice that the pulse sped up as he was trying to take it, and that Loki’s pupils widened at his nearness. 

Loki gave short, vague answers, or none at all, but he watched Bruce as if fascinated, smiling and running the tip of his tongue over his lips.

Bruce didn’t have a lot of experience with flirting, or people coming onto him, but he was having difficulty not reading Loki’s behavior as just that. He found it disturbing, more so because he was unsure if it was something Loki was doing to unnerve him.

Getting a blood sample proved difficult. Though Loki’s cool azure skin did not feel hard or tough, all of the standard sized syringes bent or broke before piercing it. Bruce gave it up for the time being.

Finally, he inquired, “I understand that you don’t know a lot about your birth culture?”

Loki’s coy smile went flat. “I know they eat wicked Asgardian children.”

“Loki, you know that is only in nursery tales,” Thor admonished. 

“I know nothing of the kind,” Loki shot back, waspishly, now making a true effort to escape Thor’s hold. “I want to go back to my room. I am tired, and hungry.”

Thor let Loki up, but did not let go of him, rising as well. He looked at Bruce sorrowfully. “Do you know how to help him?”

“Not really,” Bruce admitted. “I will keep trying to think of something, though.” 

“I do not need help from the likes of you,” Loki informed him, icily. “When I rule this world, I will keep you in a zoo.”

As Thor apologized and dragged his growling brother away, Bruce wondered if a zoo might not be more restful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snowed in again. I'm going to try to get at least one more chapter done before the thaw!
> 
> Thank you so much for the comments, bookmarks and kudos everyone! It makes me so happy. So very happy. =)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for the non-con. It may not be who you think.
> 
> All these scenes are happening more or less at the same time. I hope it all makes sense.

******

 

Stark Tower security was very good, Clint had to give Tony Stark credit. He probably would not have been able to get in, at least not in under a week, if not for the fact that the place was already crawling with SHIELD agents, and the plans that Phil had appropriated from Pepper Pots. 

He simply knocked out an agent and took his badge, which got him up the first fifty floors, beyond which the elevator was secured by a different card, and retinal scans. From there, he ducked the cameras, slipped into a utility room and went into the ceiling, following the wiring. The biggest challenge was getting around the AI; it was Stark’s baby, protected with massive firewalls, physical shielding, redundant redundancies of backups, robotic, electrical and gas defense systems, and gods knew what all underneath all that. 

But most of the heaviest defenses were set to protect Stark’s labs, his living space, and Jarvis itself, and Clint wasn’t interested in any of that. For intruders or attacks of any kind anywhere else in the Tower, Jarvis had to rely on Stark to respond, and Stark couldn’t do that if Jarvis couldn’t tell him there was a problem, and as it turned out, the AI’s communication system was vulnerable to a few timed charges, all set to blow simultaneously. Once that was done, he patched in a pre-recorded message, in the AI’s voice, sent a text to signal his team to get ready.

~~~~~~

Having regained his composure, Bruce ruefully admitted to himself that Loki had gotten to him, and that their interview had not been nearly as productive as it ought to have been. So when he found the portable sonogram machine, he decided to give it one more try. With Loki safely restrained, he could send Thor out of the room, and maybe Loki would be less hostile.

Gathering everything he wanted to take, including the heavy gage syringe for another try at a blood sample, Bruce headed out.

~~~~~~

Tony was sick and tired of being dragged away from the lab just so Fury could remind him how fucked up the situation was, how important it was that they get some answers, blah blah blah. When Jarvis spoke up during the umpteenth such meeting, it was a welcome relief. Even better, Jarvis said there was an unknown number of intruders rappelling down onto the roof. Action at last.

Ignoring Fury and Rogers, who wanted to come up with some kind of battle plan, Tony went for his suit. With any luck he would have the whole plot foiled by the time Captain America and Spies R Us arrived on the scene, and there would be new data to work with. Possibly even answers, if that wasn’t too much to ask, which it probably was.

Launching himself into the sky, he scanned for the intruder’s vehicle, but found nothing closer than a police copter half a mile away, and the typical high volume of commercial air traffic high above. Well then, that meant however many there were, they weren’t getting away the same way they’d come. He flew upwards, to just above roof level, and saw Fury and Romanov burst out through the west side exit, followed by half a dozen gun carrying minions. The east side exit disgorged Rogers and even more SHIELD agents a few seconds later. They all rushed forward, scurrying to seek cover and search behind exhaust and AC towers.

There was a not-quite funny moment when the two parties collided around a corner, guns at the ready, but thankfully SHIELD agents were better trained than to shoot each other by reflex. But there was no one else there to shoot at.

Tony checked his readouts again, and found it still devoid of uninvited guests. Flying lower, he crunched down on the gravel roof. “Jarvis, buddy, where are they?” 

There was no response. “Jarvis?”

The ground, or more accurately, the building shook slightly beneath them. Tony jetted up high enough to get a look, and saw plumes of black smoke rising from the ground floor.

~~~~~~

Loki was pretending to sleep so he wouldn’t have to talk to Thor. Or rather, listen to Thor jabber on at him about family and how wrong he’d been about the Jotuns and how if Loki would only accept all this love and help, everything would be sunshine and singing. Thor was a fool, and Loki was sick of it.

When the voice announced intruders on the roof, his eyes flew open, panic surging up at the thought of the portal already open, the Chitauri arriving, attacking, finding him not ready to lead them to victory, but once again powerless. Would they listen to him, if they discovered him here? Would they free him and put him in charge? Or would they leave him bound, shamed, subject to Thanos’s disapproval, which would far outstrip Odin’s, at least in retribution.

He hated needing Thor’s protection, but it was all he had, unless he could win free. “What is happening?”

“I do not know, brother,” Thor boomed, unfastening Mjölnir from his belt. His eyes glinted with battle lust. “But I will go and find out. Fear not. We shall keep you safe.”

Loki bared his teeth, and Thor, scarcely paying him any more attention as he strode to the door, chose to take it as a smile.

~~~~~~

Safe rooms were the ultimate in security, which made for pretty decent detention rooms in a pinch, but they were designed to be locked from the inside, so Clint had no trouble blowing the lock and getting in.

“Boss?

On the king-sized bed, a figure slid from under the covers. A blue-skinned, ruby-eyed, feminine someone.

Clint blinked in confusion. “Loki?”

“Yes, my Hawk.” The voice had risen in pitch, but was unmistakable.

Well, he had known the guy wasn’t from this planet. It was no business of his what color his skin or eyes were, or if he was masquerading as a woman. He rushed across the room.  
“I’ve come to get you out.”

“Good.” Loki extended his wrists, both of which were adorned with heavy metal cuffs, inscribed with mystical mumbo jumbo, and attached to shiny chains that ran into the steel pillars at either side of the headboard.

Barton opened his tool kit and got to work. Ten minutes later, he tossed aside his now broken diamond-bladed saw with a curse, staring disbelievingly at both the cuffs and the chains. Nothing he had tried had so much as left a scratch on the Asgardian magic suppression cuffs, and the chains weren’t more than notched a little.

“Well?” Loki demanded, tugging impatiently at his bonds.

Clint studied the way the chains ran into the hollow pillars, winding around a central post inside, operated by some kind of electrical winching system. Maybe he could pick whatever lock attached the other end, if he could get them unwound. Kneeling, he used his knife to pry open the panels under the bed, thinking there might be an access panel.

Instead, a long, shallow drawer glided open, exposing a wide selection of X-rated goodies.

“Hell,” he choked out a laugh. “Stark has a whole arsenal of sex toys in here.”

“What?” Loki tugged to the limit of his bonds to peer over the edge. “Like what?”

“Looks like the whole gamut from flavored lube to BDSM gear.”

At Loki’s puzzled expression, he explained, “Whips, floggers, dildos, gags. All that kinky shit.”

“Show me.”

“We don’t have time.” Clint started to shove the drawer closed.

“I want to see them,” Loki commanded, “I want you to show me.”

And just like that, Clint’s priorities rearranged. Again.

It pissed him off. In fact, hadn’t he been pissed off since he first laid eyes on Loki? Since the bastard had touched him with the scepter and made him help steal the Tesseract, Loki had been using him, using his body all the while the part of him that was Clint Barton, that was Hawkeye, had been screaming and raging in the back of his skull.

Maybe it was time to pay a little of that back. Clint pulled the drawer open all the way and surveyed the contents. The first thing would be to make sure Loki wouldn’t be giving any new orders. He lifted out a sturdy black leather strap, attached to a large, hard rubber ball.

“All right,” he said, the cold anger in his brain coiling down his spine to meet the growing heat pooling in his groin. “I’ll show you.”

~~~~~~

As soon as he saw the disassembled lock outside Loki’s not-quite shut door, Bruce knew very well he should just turn around and walk the other way. He knew it. He could not be involved in any kind of altercation. But his feet kept moving forward, slowly, silently.

“Jarvis?” he whispered, wondering why there had been no alarm, no alert. Had he missed it, in the elevator? The AI did not answer.

In that silence, he could just make out a rhythmic noise coming from inside the room, so Loki must still be in there. With who? Doing what? He reached out, ever so carefully, and pushed the door open another inch or two. The sound was louder, a repeated dull ‘thwack’, like someone beating a rug. Then, unmistakably, a muffled cry of pain.

Without warning, Bruce was thrown back to his childhood, cowering outside in the hallway, listening helplessly as his father laid into his mother with a leather belt. She had always tried not to cry out. She hadn’t wanted him to hear.

I am not a child any more, Bruce reminded himself, sternly. He would get help. He would go and get help, just as soon as he saw what was happening. He shoved the door open all the way, giving him a clear view into the room.

He gaped. Loki knelt on the bed, facing away from him, his arms stretched over his head, his ankles tied apart by some kind of metal bar. He was nude, and the skin of his back was covered in darker blue welts, made by the man standing over him and beating him with a whip. Neither of them noticed him.

At the next blow, Loki’s body recoiled from the pain, and there was another choked back sound. Now Bruce could see that Loki was not biting back his screams; he was gagged.

The emotion that boiled up in Bruce was way, way beyond anger, but he tried. He fought, reaching for every trick, every technique he knew to hold back the Hulk, and still feeling his control, his sanity slipping away. Then the building shook.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint demonstrates some of Tony's toys on Loki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still not sure that I'm happy with this chapter, but I've made you all wait longer than I meant to. So here. (Flings update out and runs away to wait for reactions)

Thor had not realized how much he had been depending on Stark’s invisible servant to guide him until he was faced with trying to find his way out of the building without it. After taking the elevator up to where he had left the others, and not finding anyone, or any immediate way to get up to the roof, he gave in to impatience and smashed through one of the floor to ceiling windows with Mjölnir, flying up to see Stark hovering overhead, and the others all scattered across the roof with weapons at ready, but he saw no enemies anywhere.

He was just opening his mouth to hail them when there was a low, heavy ‘boom’ from far below, not unlike earthbound thunder. Looking down, he caught sight of smoke, and tiny figures, seeming small as ants. Even at such a distance, he had no trouble recognizing their movements as an attack.

“Come to join the party, Fabio?” Stark called out to him as he went past, riding his flames down at such a speed as to soon become a blur of gold and red.

If he understood none of the man’s words, Thor still got the intent well enough, and eagerly flew down after him.

 

~~~~~~

 

Leaning over the edge of the roof, Steve watched as Thor and Tony Stark plunged down towards the battle far beneath them. His mind was racing, turning over tactics. He had felt adrift, disconnected and frequently confused since being awakened from the ice, but combat situations were as familiar as his Captain America uniform. Or at least, as familiar as his uniform had been. He shook that depressing thought off as Director Fury and Agent Romanov moved up to join him.

“Does this make any sense to you?” he asked, turning to face them. “If they are here for Loki, or for Stark or his tech, they’d have to fight their way all the way up. Even after diverting us to the roof, we are still a lot closer to their goal than they are.”

“Sir,” Romanov spoke up, “These are Barton’s tactics. Sow confusion and send all the defenders running as far from the target as possible while he slips in unseen and takes them out.”

“I agree,” Fury nodded, as reports came in over his earpiece. “Agents on the ground floor say the blast was a truck bomb that crashed through the barrier of the parking garage, and they engaged about two dozen armed men in body armor, most of whom scattered and ran after Stark and Thor joined the fight. Stark is trying to get his AI back online, but he says the structure is secure.”

“We should get to Loki.” As disturbed as Steve was by everything about Thor’s crazed sibling and how he had been treated, he was unwilling for the man, or whatever he was, to be allowed to rejoin the ranks of the enemy. 

Romanov’s hands made a fast sweep across her body, checking weapons. “I’ll take care of Barton, sir. I know him. How he thinks.” 

Fury studied her. “Do you want back up?”

She shook her head. “I work best alone.” Then she was off, running nimbly for the closest entrance back into Stark Tower.

What was going unsaid was that Romanov was determined to wrest her friend back from whatever it was that had turned him into a dangerous enemy, and she didn’t trust anyone else not to kill him before she could do it. He hoped she wasn’t making a mistake, going it alone, but he could understand. If something like that had happened to Bucky, he might do the same thing.

Moving his shield to his back, Steve said, “I’ll make sure Loki is secure.”

“All right, Cap,” Fury detailed two of his agents to accompany him, and Steve made no objection. He ordered four of the remaining six to locate Dr. Banner and make sure he was safe. “Thor took off chasing some of the ones that ran. I’ll try to get in touch with him and send him to back you up.”

“Right,” Steve barely caught himself before saluting, turning it into a sharp nod of affirmation, then gestured at his small squad and they headed out.

 

~~~~~~

With his all his words and lies and denials held back by the gag that forced his jaws painfully wide, Loki could make no protest as his mind-controlled servant stripped him, then positioned him on his knees on the bed, stretching his arms high, then using steel ankle cuffs at the ends of a long, gleaming metal bar to spread his legs wide and lock them in place.

Some part of him knew this was utter madness, that he should have ordered Barton to resume trying to free him, that there was no time for this, or at the very least he should never have allowed him to silence Loki, or make him helpless. But maybe if he could just have what he really wanted, what he had always wanted, just once, he would be able to think again. And why shouldn’t he have this, this indecent, disgraceful pleasure, now that he had lost everything else? 

Loki had never had many lovers. He had never been attracted to women, though he had forced himself to bed a few barmaids and palace servants, trying to learn to like it. When he at last accepted that it wasn’t happening, he sought out lovers in secret, often in disguise, always well away from Asgard, lest he shame his family. He would go to some gentle Ljósálfar singer, or respectful, sedate Vanir, while in the dark of his bedchamber he would conjure up a huge phallus and fuck himself, imagining being forcibly taken by hairy, bad-tempered dwarves, cruel, arrogant Svartálfar sorcerers, and, most guiltily of all, huge, bestial frost giants.

Believing himself Aesir, and Odin’s son, Loki had struggled to cling to what little dignity he could, but it had all been a sham. He had always secretly known what he was; not that he was Jotun, no, but that he was a depraved creature, craving the debasement he deserved.

“You look good like that,” Barton observed, roughly running his calloused hands over Loki’s trembling, traitorous body, pausing to reach down out of Loki’s line of sight. When he brought it up again, he held two small, shiny clamps dangling from a thin chain. “You know what these are for?”

Loki could guess. He had read of similar devices, though he had never seen them in person. A still unfamiliar, and highly humiliating rush of wetness spurted between his legs as the mortal fastened the first clamp to both nipples. The pressure was intense, and the weight tugged at him, keeping him hyperaware of the discomfort.

Hooking his finger around the dangling chain, Barton tugged. A muffled whimper broke from Loki at the sudden pain, and the mortal kept going, smiling as Loki’s back arched in an attempt to ease the tension. Then he allowed the chain to drop.

The next item, a cock ring, was more familiar. Loki had worn these before, though his own had been simple bands of leather or metal, where this was made of a flexible material, and had an odd bulge at the bottom. The feel of Barton’s hot fingertips brushing against his length made Loki go hard as he worked it down to the base of his cock, where it gripped him snugly.

“We’ll wait a bit to turn it on.”

Loki was mystified by this statement, but unable to ask. He could only wait for whatever Barton decided to do. It was awful, and he had never been more aroused. 

“Let’s see, what else have we got?” Barton moved around behind Loki, rummaging through the selection of ‘toys’, most of which Loki still had still not seen. “Just the thing.”

The object he held up to show Loki was black, shaped like an oversized pear, mounted on a short, thick stem with a flared base.

“This is called a butt plug,” Barton informed him, though Loki had indeed read of such things and belatedly recognized it. He had not thought they could be so large. The thing was the size of Thor’s doubled fists at the wide end. “It goes into your ass and stays there till someone takes it out.”

And reaching out, he spread Loki’s ass and pressed the tip against his entrance.

Loki wildly attempted to move his hips away, a muffled cry of denial escaping him. Nothing that size would ever fit inside him. Surely Stark only had it as a joke.

There was no getting away from it. Something else touched him, and cool, slippery liquid was pouring between his cheeks. Barton worked a finger into him, then a second, stretching and slicking his passage. It felt so good, and so terrifying, because Loki knew it was only to prepare him. Barton still held the enormous thing against him, like a threat. Only it was not a threat, but a promise, because the fingers soon withdrew, and the rounded tip took their place, pushing slowly but relentlessly. 

Loki cried out, struggled, clenched against it, to no avail. A firm hand gripped his hip, stilling what little range of motion the chains and his awkward position allowed, and he felt himself beginning to stretch open, wider and impossibly wider as it entered him.

It hurt. Oh how it hurt. Loki forced himself to relax, to open to this gross invasion, tears trickling down his face and shame consuming him, because no matter how it threatened to rip him apart, it was what he wanted. It was what he deserved. Just when he thought he could take no more, that he must scream, white light flared behind his eyelids, the widest part eased past his tortured sphincter, and it snapped shut onto the narrow shaft. 

Panting, head lolling forward, Loki tried to adjust to the feeling of being so monstrously full. The tip of the plug rested against his prostate, and every tiny movement, even breathing, sent messages of sheer bliss to his brain.

“Good,” Barton patted his ass approvingly. “Now this.” He reached around Loki and pressed a tiny button on the cock ring, and the device started vibrating. 

Gasping at this fresh onslaught of pleasure, Loki writhed, moaning, all thought and reason blotted out.

Then Barton introduced him to the flogger.

The mortal could not really harm Loki, of course, but with effort, he managed to make it hurt. The pain and the humiliation tangled so thoroughly with the euphoria that he could not keep track of where one began and the other ended.

Caught up in the storm of sensation, Loki barely noticed when the world around him shook slightly.

“That’s my second diversion,” Clint told him, between blows. “We should have some time yet.”

Before Loki could swim up from his fog of overstimulation enough to make sense of this, a roar, louder than a dragon and twice as angry sounded from somewhere very close behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~~~
> 
>  
> 
> You know I need to hear from you, right? Please give writer kudos and comments if you liked it!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki meet the Hulk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big Green Warning for OMG what is the author doing! Read at your own risk.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~~~~

Stairwells were excellent places for ambushes, and all Natasha’s training urged caution, but her instincts demanded speed, so she took the stairs in leaps, hurtling over the rails at the landings and taking three and four steps at a time, three stories down to Loki’s floor.She was just flinging open the metal fire door when a sound that stopped her in her tracks reverberated off the walls with enough force to cause the floor to vibrate under the soles of her boots.

She identified it immediately from Banner’s file, and shuddered despite herself.Not many things frightened her, but the Hulk did.And he was exactly where she needed to go.

She cursed silently in Russian, that Banner had not stayed in the relative safety of his laboratory; that he must have decided to pay a visit on the psychotic Norse god, alone and without authorization.Had Loki managed to harm the doctor despite being tethered?Had Banner tried to prevent Clint from rescuing Loki and been attacked?Or, worst case scenario, had Clint brought that scepter with him and turned the Hulk into a wrecking machine under Loki’s control?

Her earbud crackled, Fury’s voice demanding, “Agent Romanov, report!”

“I’m on ninety-one.I think Banner’s lost control somewhere nearby,” she replied, in a voice she had adopted early, in the Red Room.An emotionless voice, that hid her feelings under an icy veneer.

There was a beat of dead silence, before Fury, sounding equally calm, asked, “Can you confirm?”

“Give me a minute.”She was reluctant to get closer, when she was 99% certain, but without a visual, there was always a slight chance that what she had heard was just a recording, or a time traveling T-Rex on the loose. 

There was a sound of screaming metal, followed by a mighty crash somewhere down the hall.Natasha drew both pistols, illogically comforted by their solid weight, and moved quickly to the corner and peered around.The reinforced armored door to Loki’s room had been pulled out of the wall, frame and all, leaving a wide hole, surrounded by rubble, bent rebar, and gently drifting cement dust.  

Edging up to it, she risked a glance inside and her heart caught in her throat to see Barton, dodging and bringing his bow up in the face of a charging green figure the size of a bulldozer.She pointed both guns, despite knowing for a fact that the Hulk had taken anti-tank missiles to the chest without a scratch, but Barton wasn’t aiming at the Hulk, but at the floor in front of him.His strategy was revealed when the arrow struck the floor and exploded.

The force of the blast didn’t slow the Hulk a bit, but his weight hitting the weakened area caused it to break beneath one foot, throwing him off balance.

“Hulk confirmed,” Natasha told the others.“He’s in Loki’s room, and so is Barton.” She looked again, blinked, and reported, “Loki is also still secure.”At least, she assumed that if he could get loose, he would not still be kneeling on the bed with god knew what up his ass while a Hulk was rampaging nearby.

“He’s hulked out?” Tony broke in, unsurprisingly, on what was supposed to be a secure comlink.“ _In my building?!_ ”

“In the middle of a crowded metropolitan area,” Rogers testily overrode Stark’s personal issues as he jogged up to join Natasha. “We need to keep him contained, or a lot of civilians could get hurt.”

“We’ve already evacuated the nearby area,” Fury assured him.“We have a knockout gas that will take down the Hulk, if we can deliver a concentrated dose.”

“Where is this gas?” Rogers asked.

“I’m sending a team with it now.”

“I’ve got Jarvis back,” Stark announced.“He says the safe room has a dedicated ventilation system.If we can hook the gas up to that, maybe we can take him down without anyone getting smashed.”

“We’ve got several canisters,” Fury said.“It’s worth trying.”

“How are we supposed to keep him in there?” Natasha wanted to know, risking another look. Barton was doing a good job avoiding, slowing and distracting the Hulk, but he was not going to be able to keep it up for long.Even as she was thinking this, Clint’s luck ran out, and a ham-sized fist closed around Barton’s ankle as he tried to roll away.In an instant, he was thrown across the room to impact Stark’s bar with a sickening crunch and tinkle of shattering glass.

He crumpled, unmoving in the face of Hulk’s repeated roar.Natasha bit back a cry. _Don’t be dead.Please don’t let me be too late._  

From the other side of the busted doorway, Rogers turned from the scene, meeting her stricken expression with his own resolve.He pulled off his shield and hoisted it to throw, maybe to draw Hulk’s attention so she could get to Clint.

She looked back in to judge the distance and the angles, to see Hulkripping Loki’s chains free.Was he in Loki’s power?If so, why had he attacked Clint?What the hell was going on?

“Wait,” she whispered to Rogers, following some intuition she would not be able to explain later.He frowned, but trusted her enough to hold back for the time being.

 

~~~~~~

  

At first, Loki had been confused, and then increasingly incensed as he watched the beast that was Banner hurtle around the room in pursuit of Barton.Could not one thing go right for him, ever?The monster was supposed to be attacking Thor, or the soldier out of time, or Iron Man, or Nick Fucking Fury, or anyone but Barton.Loki was not finished with Barton.

Nonetheless, despite the archer’s skill and daring, the Hulk was all too soon finished with the him and coming over to Loki, peering down at him from heavy, furrowed brows.

Unable to do much else, Loki glared up at him.

The thing studied him, then reached out and twisted open the left ankle cuff, with bruising force, then reached for the other one.

Loki held his breath, startled at this turn of events.He considered what Barton had told him of this beast, how he was constantly being hunted by those who would capture him for their own use.Had he been captured previously?Was he not merely a mindless behemoth?Did he identify with Loki’s plight?

He drew his legs together, despite the discomfort of the plug, as the monster tore the chains from the poles, where they trailed from Asgardian cuffs as Loki backed away.Was it some leftover remnant of Banner’s intelligence that it had not tried to break the wrist cuffs in the same manner?Loki did not know if it could break them, but he was fairly certain his wrists would have broken first.

He fumbled loose the gag and dropped it, working his sore jaw.Discarding the nipple clamps, he thought about trying to remove the butt plug, but decided to wait, in case it turned out to be as painful and difficult to get out as it been had to get in.

 Barton’s still, sprawled body nagged at his conscience.The man had come to free him.It was Loki’s fault he was injured, maybe dead.But he was not sorry.He was not.No, Loki was _furious_.

“I am a _god_ , you dull creature!” he shouted into that broad, green scowl, and swung one of the lengths of chain at its head like a whip.

It caught it before it struck, and would not let go.Loki tried to hit him with the other one. “I did not ask for your help!”It seized this one as well, growling at him as he yanked, once again bound, and this time to a beast and not a bed. 

“I did not want your help!” Using the chains for leverage, Loki brought up both feet to plant as hard as he was able in the creature’s midsection.

Its only response was to rumble ominously and drag him closer, up off his feet so they were face to face.It was still recognizably Banner’s face.Angry, confused... Was that pain in its eyes?Why?Loki was sure he had not hurt it with his bare feet.Not from the way they had glanced off.

Loki stared as its hot breath steamed against his face.Banner’s monster was really nothing like he had imagined.It was green, yes, the color of spring leaves.It was massive, yes, but its bulk was all bunched muscle, giving the impression of restrained animalistic power, like one of Vanaheim’s dirked tooth hunting cats.Magnificent, really.Was it more or less a monster than himself?  

I am a god, Loki reminded himself fiercely.I am a king!He kicked again, his anger and concealed terror beginning to morph into different, no less violent emotions as his breasts were crushed into the wall-like chest, and his trapped erection rubbed over the flat, hard stomach.

“You are all beneath me,” he told Banner’s monster, squirming closer despite himself. He felt the change, the growing hardness under what remained of Banner’s trousers.He snagged the elastic waistband with his toes and pushed them down.They ripped, falling away.The upright green cock was in proportion with the rest of the creature, bigger than anything Loki had ever conjured.At least as big as that of a frost giant.His own seemed small in comparison, as they bumped and rubbed together, blue on green.

The Hulk growled, dragging him back.Loki wrapped his legs around its waist, barely, and held on, trying to pull himself closer.“I will not be bullied by the likes of-”

Suddenly he was flat on his back, all the air gone out of his lung with the force of his landing, and the Hulk was crouching over him, straddling him.Staring down at him, still angry, but uncertain.Slowly, it unclenched its grip on the chains.Loki raised his hands slowly, laying them flat against the Hulk’s chest, but not pushing.When it grunted and started to move away, Loki lunged after it.Him.Very much a him, after all.

Locking his hands behind the bull-like neck, Loki attempted, laughably, to drag him back down.

The Hulk snarled.Loki snarled back and pulled, at the same time canting his hips up and spreading his knees in demand.

~~~~~

Steve Rogers had read the dossier that Agent Coulson had given him on Banner, and all the other members of the Avengers Initiative.It had been the opinion of some of Fury’s top analysts that Banner mostly had a handle on his problem, but there had been recommendations for how to deal with the Hulk, if the situation came up.The main suggestion had been to keep try to keep him away from populated areas, and not do anything to provoke him.The longer Hulk felt in any way threatened or irritated, the longer the episode would last, and the greater chance for casualties and the kind of property damage that Steve usually associated with bombed cities.

This, as much as Romanov’s request, had him hesitating as the Hulk picked Loki up, though he was terrified that Thor’s sibling was about to be ripped limb from limb in front of their eyes.Still, it didn’t seem to be happening, despite Loki hissing and spitting like a scruffed kitten.

And then....

When the Hulk tossed Loki to the floor, Steve could feel himself going pale as the blood drained out of his face.A minute later, the blood and heat rushed back, redoubled, as he realized what was happening.

“We have to do something!” he mouthed at Natasha.She shook her head, blood red hair flying like a banner around her head.

Steve dared a little more volume, for emphasis.“We can’t let this happen!”

The earpieces allowed Fury to pick up on this.  He replied, “Is the Hulk still in Loki’s room? We are nearly ready with the gas.”

“Yes, sir,” Natasha answered Fury, calm.  

Too calm.Steve tried not to read her attitude as vindictive.Romanov had no love for Loki, but still...

“Let what happen?” Stark queried.“I’ve got Thor with me.We’ll be there in a minute.”

There was no way Thor would not go ballistic, if he showed up and the Hulk was... If Loki were... _God, I never thought I’d miss the war.I just want something I can shoot at._ “Maybe you should hold off a bit,” he found himself telling Stark.

“Why?Jarvis, give me the surveillance feed from Loki’s room... Holy crap!Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing here?” Stark babbled, sounding more thrown than Steve would have thought, given his previous attitude.“Is that physically possible?Maybe we’d better hurry up with that gas.”

“Romanov, what’s the situation?” Fury called, annoyed by everyone else being more informed.

A fox smile flickered over Natasha’s features and was gone. “Loki is keeping the Hulk... distracted, for the time being.”

And then the Hulk moved over Loki, who surged up to meet him with a cry.

Steve’s hands clutched the rim of his shield till they turned white, but he did not throw.It was too late for Loki, and for Doctor Banner.All they could do now was minimize the damage.

~~~~~

After watching Hulk and Loki for just long enough to come to the reckless conclusion that their ‘encounter’ would probably not prove fatal(he hoped), Tony decided that for once Captain Uptight Pants was right, and that it was not a scene to bring an overprotective brother in on.“Okay, Jarvis, cut the feed but keep a close eye out and let me know if it looks like things are going bad.” 

“Yes, sir,” his AI replied, unruffled as always.It was good to have someone in his life who never lost his shit, no matter what was going on.Tony was glad he’d built him.

“Thor, buddy!” Iron Man called to the alien flying next to him, as they closed in on Stark tower.“We need to make a quick stop up top.Director Fury wants to see us.” It was the only excuse he could think of, and likely even true.Besides, he was plenty ready to throw SHIELD under the bus, seeing as how the attack on his tower showed all the signs of a certain agency knowing more than they were supposed to about his building.

“Can it not wait?” Thor called back.“I wish to assure my brother that we have driven off the villains!”

“It will only take a minute!” Tony promised, switching to Fury’s com.“Tell me you're ready with the gas!”

“Deploying now.”

“Thank god.I’m bringing Thor to you.We’d better hope his baby brother isn’t hurt.”

That Fury didn’t give two fucks if he was came through the radio silence loud and clear.Fury was a dick, Tony thought, not for the first time.

~~~~~~

Loki clawed at the wall of green looming over him, beating at it, even biting when there was opportunity.He was stuffed, stretched, burning, longing, needing, loving, hating, raging, weeping, utterly overwhelmed by the monster’s thrusts, unable not to rock into them, needing more, deeper, faster, _SOMETHING_!He found he was begging, demanding, crying out for it, like he’d never done with any lover.

His wishes were granted, and the thrusts increased in speed and violence, until the two of them were gasping and grunting in unison, and the floor cracked beneath them.Neither paid any heed.  

Something inside Loki was swelling, expanding, brimming over, and then the Hulk roared, coming like a siege ram breaking down a gate, with an army pouring in behind.With a shout, Loki arched, spasming, pleasure so intense washing through him that he forgot everything else.

When he opened his eyes again, the oversized green face was gazing down at him, smug.  “Horny god,” Hulk accused, surprising a laugh out of Loki.

Then he slumped heavily on top of Loki, transforming back into the slight, pale Banner, completely unconscious.Rolling him off, Loki tried to shake free of his sudden lassitude, thinking to go and check on Barton, possibly even make his escape before the others returned, but he just couldn’t make his limbs obey him quite yet.Maybe in a minute.His eyes drifted shut, and he sank into an unexpectedly contented sleep.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~~~
> 
> Aaaand though I usually hate giving spoilers in the notes, that's the end of non-con and dub-con, so if you have been hanging on through this squick inducing stuff, instead of enjoying it, things are going to get easier(sort of) from here on in.


	16. Three Awakenings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sleepers awake.

 

 

It was not the pain that woke Clint, but the dizziness and nausea.  The room whirled and spun crazily, and the sickening effect was made worse when he opened his eyes to be inundated with too-bright colors that smeared and bled like bad water colors.  There were sounds, too, rushing in and out of his head like surf, leaving no meaning behind.

Then the pain struck, huge and blinding, as he tried to move.  His head felt like it had been split with an axe, but it was a minor ache, compared to the flare of agony in his left shoulder.  His right hand was secured to the side of the narrow bench that he was lying on, but his left wrist was in a sling.  His experimental tug on it nearly caused him to pass out as he felt the bones shift and grind together. 

He retched, and his world came into focus around the basin held for him, and then someone was wiping his face with a damp cloth as he gasped, shuddering through one more spasm of dry heaves.

The sounds resolved into a voice. A familiar, trusted voice. “Clint.  You’re going to be all right.”

“You know that?” he chuckled weakly, almost a wheeze.  “Is that what you know?”  From the band of fire wrapped around his chest, Clint knew he had at least several cracked ribs.

Natasha covered the basin she had been holding, gently wiped his mouth, then got up to pour a cup of water from a nearby pitcher.

It was cool and soothing, and washed the sour taste from his mouth.  It felt like the first thing he’d had to drink in centuries, but after the first cup, he came up out of his fever dream enough to feel the sweat pouring off of him, soaking through his clothes.  It was a good thing, he decided.  “I’ve got no window.  I have to flush him out.”

“You’ve got to level out.  It’s going to take time.”  She poured another cup, avoiding his eyes.  Her body was relaxed, her face as serene as a marble Madonna. 

“You don’t understand.”  Clint panted, shaking his head.  “Have you ever had someone take your brain and play?  Pull you out, and stuff something else in?”

The memories came flooding back, of Loki, of the scepter, the unnatural calm and the slavish devotion, of his true self stuffed down small and smoldering inside, until Loki had dragged even his animosity up to play with.  “Do you know what it’s like to be unmade?”

Her facade of calm slipped, and she met his gaze.  “You know that I do.”

Yes, she knew.  It had not been the same; she had been programed over years, from childhood, not had her mind twisted by alien magic, but The Black Widow did know what it was like to surface after drowning in someone else’s ideas.

The reminder steadied Clint, helped him to calm down and take stock of his situation. “Why am I back?  How’d you get him out?”

“Cognitive recalibration.”

His head hurt too much to make sense of that, and he gave her an annoyed look.

She responded with a ghost of a smile. “You broke Stark’s bar with your head.”

“Ha,” he smirked despite everything, then sobered.  “I guess everybody knows what I was doing... just before.”

“Sort of.  Stark erased the tapes, though, or so he claims.”

“Tasha, you have to believe me, none of that shit was my idea.”

“I do believe you,” she shrugged.  “Besides it being stupid and counterproductive, I know what you like in bed.”

“No, you don’t,” he argued.  They’d danced around the subject of sex for years, but they valued their friendship too much to risk ruining it, and neither of them had a good track record with romance.

Her snort was thoroughly amused.  “None of the women you sleep with are especially discreet, Clint.”

“Tasha!” he whined.

“Don’t worry about it,” she reproved, putting a hand on his unbroken shoulder.  “Don’t do that to yourself, Clint.  This is Loki.  This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for.”

She held out two white tablets for him, and he lipped them from her palm and let her wash them down with more water.

“The Hulk,” he whispered, as his more recent memories came into focus.  “What happened after I went down?  Was anybody hurt?  Loki didn’t get away, did he?”

“No.”  She gave him a final, searching look before releasing him.  “Loki kept the Hulk occupied till we could gas the room.”

“He’s not dead, is he?”

“Would you care if he was?” Spinning away from him, she stared out the bulletproof glass of the cell.  “He’s killed nearly eighty people in two days.  His brother says he’s planning to use the Cube to open up a portal into space and bring an army through.”

Slumping back, Clint rubbed his face.  “I know, Tasha. I know that.” He sighed, fighting the pounding headache to try and make sense of his feelings.  “Don’t get me wrong.  I hate the guy.  I’ve been hating him all along for what he did to me.  For what he made me do to Coulson and the others, but-” Clint grimaced, “It’s hard to explain.”  

Mercifully, she chose to change the subject. “Is his plan on hold since he’s in custody?”

He started to shake his head but thought better of it.  “No.  Coulson’s running the show now.”

“Do you know where?”

“No.  Didn’t need to know.  Didn’t ask.” The painkillers seemed to be taking effect, and Clint’s headache was easing.  His ribs and shoulder were manageable, so long as he kept his breathing shallow and moved with care.

“We’ve got to stop him.”

“Yeah.  Whose ‘we’?”

“Whoever we can get.  You too.”  She turned back to him, radiating determination and anger.

Snorting derisively, he gestured at his sling.  “I don’t think a one-armed archer is going to be much good to you, even if anybody would trust me, after everything.”

“You can still use a pistol,” she pointed out acerbically.  “You can use your mind, now that you’ve got it back.

“I suppose,” he muttered. “Fuck. I wish it wasn’t Coulson.  I’d almost rather Loki had got away. I think I’d sleep better if I could put an arrow through his eye socket.”

“Now you sound like you,” Natasha smiled, wryly, coming back to sit beside him.

“But you don’t.” He eased his feet to the floor, wincing at myriad pains competing for his attention.  “You’re a spy, not a soldier.  Now you want to wade into a war.  Why?”  

Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t answer. “What did Loki do to you?”

“He didn’t.  I just-” she stammered.  Stammered.  Her eyes had gone suspiciously shiny, like someone holding back tears.  Someone not a stone cold assassin and spy.  That could not possibly be why she turned her face away.

“Natasha,” Clint whispered, gently.

“I’ve been compromised,” she stated, flatly, and when she turned back, she was dry-eyed, all business.  “I’ve got red in my ledger,” she stated. “I’d like to wipe it out.”

 

~~~~~~

 

 

Over the years he’d spent on the run from General Ross, and others who wanted to cage him, or make more monsters from his blood, Bruce had experimented with trying to allow his alter ego out under controlled circumstances, seeking out deserts and unpopulated wilderness where the Hulk would be unlikely to hurt anyone.  He’d hoped this would make it less likely that he would change unexpectedly, as if he could somehow bleed off the pressure that seemed to be constantly building up behind his eyes.

He’d thought it might be helping, but after finding out about some close calls with hikers, and then waking up within sight of the lights of Los Vegas, he’d abandoned the experiment.  Any place that seemed remote enough, like Antarctica or the Australian deserts, were not places he wanted to wake up, naked and without food or water.  His research had turned up some uninhabited islands that might have been ideal, if he hadn’t been worried that he would be unable to escape any force that tracked him there.

So he had abandoned the idea, but sometimes he still daydreamed about it.  He hated changing.  He despised being the Other Guy, out of control, unaware of what destruction and possible deaths might be dealt out by his body, while it wasn’t his body.  But it was a catharsis.  Every time he woke, after an episode, he felt more relaxed, at ease.  Of course, this only made his guilt even worse.

At least this time, he wasn’t waking up in a pile of rubble, or in some kind of cage, which he’d sort of been expecting.  Instead, he was lying on a cot in Tony Stark’s workshop, the same workshop he’d been working in for two days now.  If not for the unmistakable feeling of being wound down, and the fact he was nude under the puffy down comforter, he might think that he’d just gone to sleep over his monitor, and his fragmented memories were all a dream.

Across the room, Tony caught sight of him stirring and shoved the holographic screen he was working on aside.  

“Hey.  Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty.  Want some coffee?  Or would you rather have some of your herbal tea?”

Okay, the building was still intact.  That was good, at least.  “What happened?”  He was afraid to ask, ‘Is anybody hurt?’

Tony had retreated to the table that held his precious coffee maker, along with a box of assorted snacks like granola bars and dried fruit that were part of Pepper Potts campaign to get the inventor to eat more often and more healthy.  

Bruce had been supplied with a ridiculously complicated and expensive hot water dispenser, and enough varieties of tea to last months, along with the blends he’d brought with him from  Kolkata.  

Tony had pulled out a clean mug and was riffling through the selection.  “What’ll you have? Chamomile? Peppermint? Positive Energy Sweet Tangerine?”

“Tony-” Bruce attempted to get a word in.

“ There are some clothes under the cot.  From your room.  You know, I could probably design you something that would survive the change better than sweat pants, though that’s not really my line.  Reed Richards has something like that, now that I think of it.  Unstable molecules, or something.  Has to stretch to fit him, and not burn up for Johnny Storm.  Should work for Hulk.  I’ll get on it.”

“Tony-”  Bruce started getting dressed.  Once he had some clothes on, maybe Tony would give him some answers.  If not, he could go over and shake them out of the babbling genius.

“This one just says ‘calm’.  How about that one?” At last, he paused, for either a reply or for breath.

Slipping on his shoes, Bruce stood up.  “Just how calm do you think I need to be?”

“Medium calm,” Tony answered.  It shouldn’t have been enlightening, but it was, somehow.

“Peppermint is fine.”

“Coming right up.” Tony plopped the tea bag into the cup, fiddled with the machine, then proffered a fragrant, steaming offering of medium calm.

Bruce took it, sipped carefully, and leaned hipshot against the table.  “Alright, tell me.  What did the Other Guy break?”

“Not a whole lot, really,” Tony took a gulp of his own coffee.  “So you don’t remember anything?”

“I remember I was going to try to examine Loki again, without Thor present.” Bruce took a larger sip, trying to recall.  “The door was unlocked.  No...” An image resurfaced. “The lock was ripped apart.  After that...” He shook his head.  After that was the rage, obliterating everything else.

“Right.  Well, Agent Barton was in Loki’s room.  He’d broken in and buggered with Jarvis’s communication systems, and decoyed us all to the roof, then to street level.”

“Did he get Loki out?”

“No, no,” Tony hastened to assure him.  “Actually, he didn’t seem to be trying to break Loki out.  I mean, he did try, earlier, but he wasn’t when you... when the Big Guy made his appearance.”

“What was he doing, then?” Bruce asked, puzzled.  Why would Barton break in, try to break Loki out, then stop?

“Well, remember that joke about the sex toys?”

“What?”

“See, Agent Barton found them, and was using them on Loki.  Which is in no way my fault, by the way.”

_ “WHAT?” _

“Jarvis says he was using the flogger when you came in.  I’m guessing that’s what set you off.”

Bruce slugged back the rest of the tea, despite it being too hot for that to be comfortable.  The burning helped focus his concentration.  “He broke into your tower to get Loki out, then stopped to play with your S&M gear?” 

“Jarvis says it was Loki’s idea.  The guy is sex crazed.”

Pushing past Tony, Bruce tossed the used teabag and opened two bags of the ‘Calm’, plunked them into the now empty cup and filled it with boiling water.

“All right,” he said, slowly.  “All right.  I walked in on him flogging Loki and lost it.  Then what?”

“Well, you chased Barton all over the room, then you tossed him head first into my bar.”

It wasn’t me, Bruce wanted to rail, but it was, in a way.  “Is he hurt?”

“Banged up a little,” Tony waved this off.  “Concussion, cracked ribs, broken shoulder.  He should be fine, eventually.”

Wincing, Bruce stared at his tea.  “Those are serious injuries, Tony.”

“Hey, the cracked head seems to have cleared up the whole mind control issue,” Tony refuted.  “SHIELD was prepared to shoot his ass if they got the chance, before.  So it’s a good thing.”

Bruce didn’t agree, but he didn’t bother to argue.  “Is that all?”  Because the Hulk usually didn’t settle for so little damage, especially not when he manifested in enclosed spaces.

“You really don’t remember anything?” Tony prevaricated.

A single image floated into Bruce’s mind: Loki, dangling from the Other Guy’s grasp, struggling.  “I remember Loki.  Sort of.”  A chill ran down his spine. “I didn’t- He’s not hurt, is he?”

“Not as far as we can tell,” Tony snagged a rolling chair and dragged it over.  “Want to sit down?”

“Do I need to sit down, too?” Because if he hadn’t harmed Loki, why was Tony so freaked out?  Or at least, so concerned?

“Yeah, I think you ought.”

Bruce sat.  “Thor?  Steve?  Natasha?”

“Nobody’s hurt.  I swear.”

“Tony,” Bruce set his tea down and clasped his hands in his lap to keep them from shaking. “What. Happened?”

“Like I told you, Loki is sex crazed,” Tony rushed, “And the Other Guy is still a guy...”

“What?  No, wait.  What?” Stark couldn’t mean...

“And Loki did want to.  I swear, he did everything but trip the Big Guy and beat him to the floor.”

“No. God, no!” Bruce was close to hyperventilating, and despite the recent transformation, he felt the Hulk stirring again.  “I can’t have- He’s never-”

Looking alarmed, _(so he does have some self-preservation instincts after all)_ Tony moved a few steps back.  Grabbing Bruce’s tea, he shoved it into his hands, slopping it onto his clean sweat pants.  At least it had cooled enough not to burn.

Bruce drank, long swallows.  So now he was hosting a rapist, along with a murderous monster.

“It was- It kept Hulk busy long enough to gas the room,” Tony offered, weakly.

“You’re sure he’s not injured?”

“Nothing we could detect with Jarvis‘s scanners or on x-ray.  He’s still unconscious, from the gas.”

“I’d better go make sure.  Or, maybe SHIELD could get a real doctor in to look at him?”

“Fury doesn’t want to bring in any more people if he can avoid it.”

“I’ll check on him, then, I guess.”  Bruce got up, agitated.  He didn’t want to.  But he had to see the damage for himself.  He had to apologize, or try to.

“Thor is with him.  I’ll let him know to expect you,” Tony said.

“Is he going to try to flatten me?”  Because they had already had a near miss, with the Hulk.  Sort of.  _It might have been worse._

“No idea.  He’s pretty upset.” Tony eyed him.  “Wait for Loki to wake up, maybe?  Let Thor see he isn’t hurt?”

Bruce hesitated, torn.

“Finish your terrible tea?” Tony coaxed.

Blowing out a long breath, Bruce sat back down and picked up the now-cold, extra strength tea.  “This stuff is pretty awful.  I think maybe the peppermint after all.”

 

~~~~~~

 

Slumped in a chair next to the bed where Loki lay sleeping, Thor morosely wondered if he would ever be able to stop failing his little brother.  After Loki’s fall into the Void, Odin and Frigga had tried to take all the blame for themselves, for keeping the truth from Loki, for never making any effort to make sure to take Loki’s Jotun nature into account, or learn more about his true race.

But Thor knew he held a large portion of blame as well.  If he had not been so arrogant, so eager for war, they would never have wound up on Jotunheim, and Odin’s spell would not have been broken.  If he had been less competitive, determined not only to outshine Loki in combat and gaining the love of the people, but to also belittle Loki’s skills at magic and diplomacy, calling them tricks and cowardice, maybe his brother would not have felt compelled to ruin Thor’s coronation, or taken the revelations of his birth so poorly. 

He had seldom stood up for Loki, except when his brother’s manliness was questioned, and now, if he understood the Man of Iron’s assertions, all he had done by this was make Loki even more ashamed of his own desires. 

He had come to Midgard with glowing hopes of repairing the breach between them, and regaining his brother, but thus far he had been of little use to Loki, or to the Midgardian heroes who sought to prevent an imminent invasion.

Worst of all, despite his intentions to protect Loki, he had gone rushing off again, yearning for battle and leaving his brother alone and without his magic, or his faculties, to be attacked, violated by Banner’s great beast.  

It had been all he could do not to attack the mortals as they stumbled through their half-hearted regrets.  He’d strongly desired to take his sleeping brother and fly away, but if Thanos and his army was not stopped, there would be no safe place on Midgard, and without the Tesseract, he knew of no way of getting them home.

A soft moan, so familiar and beloved, roused Thor from his dark thoughts, as his brother began to wake.

“Loki?” He prodded his brother gently, eliciting another wordless complaint, as Loki dragged his pillow up to cover his face.  His brother had never been quick to shake off slumber.

“Loki, wake up.”  Thor tried to take the pillow.

Loki hugged it harder.  “Go away!” he yelled, voice muffled by the stuffing, but clear enough.

“Please, Loki.  I need you to wake up and tell me how you are feeling!”

The pillow moved up, still covering Loki’s eyes, but freeing his mouth.  “Do you always have to ask such idiotic questions?”

Thor considered retorts, but settled on “Yes.”

His brother groaned louder and threw off the pillow.  “You want to know how I feel?”

Thor nodded.  “Please, brother.”

“Very well.  I feel angry, confused, afraid, and relieved.  But mostly I feel disgusted.  Does that answer your question?”

Despite this litany of mostly negative emotions, Thor felt his heart leap up in excitement.  “Loki?  Are you... are you yourself?”

Loki sat up, glaring at him with red Jotun eyes like blood rubies.  “Do I look like myself?” he demanded, gesturing angrily at his body.

“No,” Thor belatedly thought the better of this, and changed it to “Yes.  Maybe?”  He fumbled for a better question.  “Why relieved?”

Loki threw himself back down, retrieving the pillow and screaming into it.

From long experience, Thor knew the best tactic was to wait Loki out.

“Fine,” Loki grumbled, emerging at last. “I feel somewhat more clearheaded.”

Lunging, Thor embraced Loki tightly.  “That is wondrous news, brother!”

“Mffff!” Loki shoved him off, “I did not say you had permission to squeeze the life out of me!”

“Forgive my enthusiasm,” Thor smiled.  “I have been so worried about you.”

“Yes, well...” Loki trailed off, looking uncomfortably around the room.  “I don’t suppose your new friends have located the Tesseract, so we can leave?”

“Not to my knowledge,” Thor returned, gravely.

“Hmm.”  Loki frowned down at his blue hands, and the heavy, rune embossed cuffs.  “I suppose you’d best take me to them, so I can help.”

 

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay, everyone. Besides being busy with work, my muse has been a grudging, fickle bitch, forcing me to write and rewrite this chapter four freaking times. Sorry it's so short, but I am putting it up because you guys have waited long enough, and I am not giving myself time to decide to write it again. 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~~~~

It had been Loki’s lifelong habit to let Thor go first into a fight, and he had cause to remember the wisdom of this when, impatient to get on with his new plan, he entered the conference room ahead of his brother, unrestrained except for the suppression cuffs.

There was a flurry of movement, a flash of struggle, and then Clint Barton shot him with the pistol he had apparently snatched from Romanov.

Chaos erupted, as Rogers and Romanov tackled Barton, struggling for control of the gun. Loki staggered backwards and fell, startled and thrown off balance by the force of the impact. Thor roared and whipped out his hammer, and Fury reacted by leveling a large, curious-looking gun at him.

Tony Stark’s clever suit was unfolding to surround him, and most surprisingly, Doctor Banner was rushing at Thor.

“Treacherous miscreants!” his brother shouted, raising Mjölnir. “You shall not harm my brother!”

Banner pulled up short, raising his hands. “He’s been shot. I need to see how badly he’s injured.”

Fury ordered, “PUT THE HAMMER DOWN!!” 

Clomping heavily into the middle of all this, Stark extended his repulsored hands towards both Fury and Thor, yelling, “Whoa, cool it. Everybody just take a breath here!”

“It’s all right!” Rogers called. We’ve got Barton secured.”

“Thor!” Loki dared a slight move to kick his brother’s ankle in a bid to get his attention before the situation got any worse. 

Thankfully, it worked. Turning his head, Thor asked, “Are you hurt?”

“Of course not,” Loki said derisively, extending one hand for Thor to help him up. His shoulder was throbbing, and probably it would be spectacularly bruised, but he was otherwise unharmed. 

Though he had only glimpsed Barton briefly, he had noticed the sling. He wondered if this was meant as payback, or if the archer was still loyal to him and simply playing a deeper game. Being trusted by the others would put him in a more advantageous position to aid Loki than otherwise, and there could be few better methods of regaining the trust of his companions than to try and kill Loki. Except if he had been trying for a kill shot, he would have put the round in Loki’s eye. Much more likely to cause injury, though probably not fatal.

“You’re really all right?” Banner fussed, edging closer to get a better look as Loki regained his feet, letting Thor steady him.

“I’m fine,” Loki said, slapping away Thor’s hand from trying to open his shirt to check. “Leave off, Thor. I am not harmed.”

“Good, great,” Stark slowly lowered his arms and popped open his faceplate. “Nobody’s hurt, and we can all stand down. Maybe even sit down. Have a drink or two. Not shoot anybody else.”

“Sorry, Tasha,” Clint was pinned, facedown on the floor, not quite sobbing. “I thought- He- You don’t know…”

“Let him up, please,” Loki called.

Predictably, Thor protested this. “Brother, he attacked you!”

“Yeah,” Stark looked over at Clint, “Not sure that’s a good idea, gorgeous.”

Tensions were gradually decreasing all around, though, as it became clear that Loki was not bleeding out, and Thor was not about to flatten anyone. Just to be certain, Loki wrapped both hands around the wrist of Thor’s hammer arm and held on. 

“It was completely justified, brother,” Loki pleaded. “You know that what I did to him was an abomination.” 

And foolish, he now realized. He had observed Barton while watching over Selvig’s research, and admired him. The SHIELD agent had seemed almost a kindred spirit, another warrior who did not distain caution and stealth. He had been careful to spare him, then thrilled to have him as a faithful second in command, but what the scepter could command was not true loyalty, wasn’t the respect and regard he had wanted.

Across the room, Romanov was helping Barton stand, careful of both the man’s injuries and her own small arsenal. Fury had lowered his own weapon.

“And I do not think he will do it again.” Loki noted the unknotting of his brother’s eyebrows and let go of his arm.

“Are we good? Can I take the suit off?” Stark inquired. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the suit, but this isn’t the best one for sitting and drinking, and I think we should all sit down and have a drink or two.”

“I agree,” Loki kept his eyes on Thor, but spoke loudly enough to be heard by everyone. “But first, I believe I should make some apologies, beginning with Barton.”

“I think maybe that should be the other way around,” Banner said in an undertone, stepping back out of the way in his self-effacing manner.

Now that his temper had subsided somewhat, Thor agreed, and followed at Loki’s heels as he made his way to within a few paces of where Barton stood, flanked by Romanov and Rogers. They watched him as they might an approaching serpent. A large, venomous serpent, possibly with more than one head.

Slowly, keeping his movements as unthreatening as possible, Loki lowered himself to his knees and bowed his head. “Agent Barton, I have gravely wronged you, and I will do what I may to make amends, both to you and to your world.”

“I don’t believe you,” Barton hissed through clenched teeth.

That Loki didn’t entirely believe him either didn’t seem like a wise thing to say. Nor that he didn’t blame him for his skepticism. So he said nothing.

“You really think you can make it up to me? What you did?”

“Barton,” Thor started, then ran out of words.

“No,” Loki admitted, keeping his head down, humbly. “I know I cannot, but I am offering to try.”

“Fantastic!” Stark’s voice was accompanied by the clink of glassware. “Let’s get started. I’m having scotch. What do you guys want?”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really more like the second half of the last chapter.

Clint ignored Stark’s antics, as did everybody else. The man might be a genius when it came to tech, but he was an idiot with people, when he wasn’t being an out and out prick. 

He was dimly aware that he was causing himself a great deal of pain. His lungs were working like a bellows to keep up with his racing heart, straining the cracked ribs, and his fists clenched till his knuckles were threatening to break through his skin. He stared hard at the bullet hole in Loki’s shirt, bitterly disappointed in the lack of blood.

Thor put a hand on the shoulder Clint hadn’t tried to put a hole through, comforting him. It pissed Clint off, and he considered just asking Tasha for a gun. He could tell she would like to take a few shots herself. Maybe Fury would go along, since it didn’t seem like it would do any more damage than the beat down the asshole deserved. Fucking invulnerable aliens.  
“You want to make it up to me?” he hissed at the blue, androgynous face. It was weird that Loki seemed less threatening now. “Tell me how to end you.”

The unnatural red eyes widened, searching his own. Clint made his gaze hard, clinging to his hate to prove to himself that he was free. That his choices were his own.

“Very well, Agent Barton.” Loki’s voice had changed along with his body. It was softer, less edged. 

He wasn’t especially good at reading people, not like Tasha, but he notice Loki’s shoulders droop.

“Hey, whoa. No one is ending anyone here,” Stark protested, at the same time Roger’s started some line about law and due process, and Thor hefted his hammer slightly, proclaiming no one was going to hurt his brother.

“Quiet, Thor.” Loki got to his feet and stepped back to a slightly more comfortable distance, still studying Clint. “One can want to know how do a thing without necessarily wishing to do it.”

“He is not owed your life,” Thor argued. “One can also do rash things, in the heat of anger.”

Clint disagreed, but he kept it to himself. 

“Speaking from experience?” Loki chuckled, raising a brow at his brother. Thor flushed and looked so guilty even Clint had no trouble seeing it.

Fury raised his voice. “This is all beside the point. Thor, you said Loki can help find the Tesseract. How about you tell us how?”

“You will have to ask him,” Thor shrugged carelessly. “I have very little knowledge of seiðr.”

“It should not be too difficult.” Loki pulled up an expensive-looking office chair and proceeded to make himself comfortable. “After all, I found it before from half a universe away.”

“Yeah, but that was when you had your mojo working,” Stark pointed out.

“Correct.” Loki smiled brightly and extended his wrists to Thor.

Clint was not the only one to think this was a bad idea, or say so, in no uncertain terms.

“Look, Thor,” Rogers wound up being spokesperson by virtue of most of the others being reduced to arguments more along the lines of ‘hell, no’, “You were the one who warned us that he would escape if he had access to his magic. Now you just want to turn him loose?”

Predictably, Stark was next to find his voice. “What if he turns us all to newts and buggers off back to his army of darkness?”

“He will not,” Thor countered, and laid his hammer across Loki’s lap. 

Looking around, Clint saw that everyone had been filled in on how Mjölnir worked, even Banner and the SHIELD drones. He had seen a lot of people trying to move that hammer, back in Puente Antiguo, and nothing had budged it a millimeter, until Thor had gotten his powers back. Still, he wasn’t sure a tricky bastard like Loki couldn’t find a work around. He’d been confident of his ability to escape the Hulk cage, if for some reason Clint couldn’t get him out.

Stark was apparently thinking along the same lines. “I thought you said he could teleport?”

“Vanish like smoke,” Natasha quoted.

“Smoke does not truly vanish,” Loki said, superciliously, “Nor can I.” He thrust out his wrists again, demanding. “Thor.”

Fury had moved closer, still gripping his large, unfamiliar weapon. “I think I need more assurance than you’re giving us.” 

Thor considered, then sternly told Loki, “Brother, I will have your word of honor that you will do nothing beyond locate the Tesseract.”

Inwardly, Clint snorted in derision, but Loki surprised him by hesitating to give it.

“I would also heal Agent Barton, if he will allow it.”

“When hell freezes over,” Clint told him, furious at even the thought of Loki getting near him again with his magic working.

“You do not wish to be at your best, and go along to retrieve your fellow agents? Especially your Coulson?” Loki knew him too damned well. Clint itched to punch that smug little smile right off his face.

“If he will allow it,” Thor agreed. “That and finding the Tesseract. Nothing else.”

“I will change myself back,” Loki stated, not asking permission. “That is my one condition. I despise looking like this.”

“Brother,” Thor murmured, cupping the back of Loki’s neck, “Are you certain that is wise?”

“I don’t care. You are going to bind my magic again in any case, so it hardly matters.”

“It matters to me that you are sane,” Thor told him. 

Clint was unsure if that mattered any to him, but it was good to know that they were only giving Loki temporary access to his magic. 

“Just hurry up and release me. Once the Tesseract is recovered, we can return to Asgard.”

“Now you’re in a big hurry to leave us?” Stark tilted his head. “I think I’m insulted.”

“What you should be is frightened,” Loki growled, “But you seem pathologically incapable.”

“Of you, Bambi? I don’t think so.”

Loki didn’t answer. He was too intent on Thor’s tracing runes on the bracelets. Each one he traced lit up like neon, and the cuffs snicked open.    
Green, shimmering light surrounded Loki, and Clint held his breath, certain something awful was about to happen, but a long minute passed, and nothing did. Nothing at all happened, except for Loki’s expression growing more and more upset and frustrated, but continuing to stay blue, lined and slightly feminine.

“Loki?” Thor called softly.

The light flickered and vanished, and there sat Loki, restored to his pale-skinned, green-eyed, masculine form, complete with the complicated leather and metal armor that he had been wearing when he’d arrived in Selvig’s lab.

The sight of it made Clint’s stomach drop, and his throat close up. At his side, Tasha reached out and intwined her fingers with those of his free hand. It helped.

“Can you not change back?” Thor asked, absurdly.

“Apparently not,” was the embittered reply. “I suppose I must wait and ask the All-Father how it was done.”

“I don’t follow,” Rogers frowned at the two Asgardians. 

“Only an illusion, Captain,” Loki explained, with a ghost of his previous, malicious smile. “The same as my ability to disappear.”

Which he did, leaving Mjölnir floating on nothing, a few inches above the chair seat. Clint might have freaked out, if not for the hammer. It seemed Loki couldn’t do magic on it, any more than he could move it.

“Jarvis? Are you getting this?” Stark bounced on the balls of his feet, a science terrier with a new ball to chase. “Full scan, the works.”

Fury put everybody back on mission with a bellow. “Tesseract, now!”

“Oh,” Loki reappeared, nonplussed. “Of course.” He held his hands apart, shoulder-width, and conjured up an image of the Earth, slowly spinning, and studied it. As North America was passing, he paused the rotation, then expanded the illusion and sent it floating up where everyone could get a good look at it. A tiny blue spark gleamed up out of the center of flyover country. Maybe Wyoming, or South Dakota, Clint couldn’t tell.

From his grim expression, Fury knew where it was, and it was not good news. “I kind of hope you’re lying about this,” he mentioned. “Because if you aren’t, we’ve got even bigger problems than we thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~~
> 
> The next part is going to be delayed while I get my taxes sorted out, clean my house and plant a garden. I'm also kind of stuck for the next part and would very much like to bounce some ideas around with other writers and fans, if anyone would like to volunteer, or can direct me to a good community for that.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are really, really appreciated!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Just who is in charge of this invasion, anyhow?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter to tide you all over a bit. I still have lots of RL stuff taking up my available writing time, but I hope to get back to it very soon.
> 
> Huge thanks to tilla123 for letting me babble ideas at her and helping me make sense of them!
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~~~~

“Let’s see,” Tony had Jarvis go to work immediately on the site pinpointed on Loki’s globe, and was now opening holographic windows to share a good look at whatever Jarvis could find. “Looks like a reinforced building, no windows to speak of… records say it is an experimental energy lab. Private company, not on record as SHIELD…Not much else, looks locked down pretty good there, Nick.”

As always, Fury looked like he’d rather hand over major organs than classified information, but he grudgingly admitted that it was a SHIELD facility. “I need to get some confirmation before telling you more.”

“Another lab of some kind? A second Tesseract base?” Bruce guessed, ignoring Fury’s paranoia. “We don’t have time for secrecy, if this lab can provide enough energy to open the portal.”

“How about you fill us in on the way?” Rogers suggested. “We should get moving.”

“I’m for being filled in now,” Stark argued. “Come on, Fury, you know I can find out if you make me go digging. You really want me rummaging around your secrets?” Tony planned to do it anyway, of course, but Rogers was right about time being short.

“I want to know how he knew about it,” Fury deflected, pointing at Loki, who following all this with alert curiosity.

Loki’s brows shot up. “I didn’t,” he denied, shaking his head. “You’ll have to ask Barton.”

All eyes turned to the recently mind-controlled agent, who turned to look again at the globe, concentrating. “Yeah, I know what’s there, but I don’t know why Coulson would have gone there.”

“Wait,” Tony interrupted, “Just who is in charge of this invasion, anyhow?”

Fury stared hard at Loki. “Are you saying none of this is your plan?”

“I had thought to use the energy source in this tower,” Loki informed them, looking not at all guilty, “And open the portal from on the roof.”

“The roof of my building?” Tony couldn’t make up his mind whether to be outraged or flattered. “That’s a terrible plan!”

Loki shrugged. “I had not made up my mind as to whether I wished to succeed.”

“That explains a lot,” Bruce murmured, a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“I knew you could not truly wish to rule Midgard,” Thor approved.

“They would be better off,” Loki sniffed, crossing his arms defiantly.

“Perhaps you may help them in some other way,” his brother suggested, ignoring the disapproving looks from all the SHIELD personnel. 

Tony thought that was a bit shortsighted of them. 

“You probably could,” Bruce agreed, proving once again that he was also a genius.

“So Agent Coulson is who we need to be concerned with right now?” Steve attempted to get the meeting back on track. “I thought Barton was the one who used Loki’s scepter on him, back on the heliocarrier.” He turned to Clint. “You didn’t tell him what to do?”

“No,” Barton frowned, anger and guilt darkening his face.

Tony’s mind raced back over all the security footage he had studied concerning the scepter being used, both by Loki and by Barton, and he didn’t recall either of them giving a single order.

“Just how does the scepter work, anyway?” he asked Loki, “Telepathy?”

“I am not sure. It was given to me only moments before I came to this world. I was told it would provide me with loyal servants and enhance my own magic.” 

Looking over at a glaring Barton, Loki inquired, “How did you know how to use it?”

“I just did what you did,” Barton replied, tersely. “I put the tip over their hearts and waited for their eyes to change.”

“You didn’t need to give any instructions at all?” Tony asked, thinking. “Did you need any, when you were under the influence?”

Barton thought about this. “He gave some orders about specific things, but he didn’t have to order me to help him.”

“So the magic pixie stick makes people helpful,” Tony pressed, “but it seems like it would be hard to help if you aren’t given orders, or don't know the plan.”

“I knew the plan,” Barton shot back, then stopped, surprised at the recollection. He looked to Loki, more confused than hostile for a change. “You didn’t put that in my head?”

“As I said, I had not truly made up my mind on a plan,” Loki admitted. “But you seemed entirely competent, so I was going along with it.”

“What plan is this?” Thor demanded.

“Open a stable portal,” Barton explained. “I knew that was the goal from the minute he touched me with the spear.”

Loki snorted a soft, bitter little laugh. “Well, that makes a great deal of sense. I suspect Thanos and the Other had very little faith in me as a reliable tool, and thus saw to it I would recruit others.”

Well, that was an insidious thing to do, Tony thought. As confused, desperate and angry as Loki had been, the thought of having some method to make people help him must have been incredibly tempting. After all, there had been no real reason Loki hadn’t just killed everyone, with the possible exception of Selvig, and carried off the Tesseract by himself. 

“But Barton tried to retrieve Loki twice.” Natasha reminded them. “Is Loki necessary to the plan?” she asked Barton.

“No,” Barton shook his head. “I was following his orders when I hit the heliocarrier, but I was only able to make a second try for him because I knew Coulson was going to handle the rest.”

“So will you be able to order him not to, if we can put you in touch with Agent Coulson?” Steve asked.

“I can try,” Barton replied, without much faith in this idea. “If that doesn’t work, I’ll try the knock on the head.”

Fury had stepped away from their discussion to make a few calls on his secured phone. It was all Tony could do not to roll his eyes at the man’s back. Did he really think he could keep anything from Tony, from Jarvis, when he was in Tony’s own tower?

Now he turned back to them. “It seems we will be trying that, Barton. I’ve confirmed that Agent Coulson is indeed at the facility. He’s invited us to join him there.”

Everyone turned to stare at Fury, confused.

“Well, that makes no sense,” Tony said. “Does the scepter drive everybody who uses it bugfuck?”

“I guess we’ll find out when we get there,” Fury replied, evenly.

“Good enough,” Steve nodded, obviously eager to get started.

Tony wasn’t, at least, not without more information. “Anything else we should know?”

Fury visibly unclenched his teeth to answer. “The facility is a detention center, for prisoners with superhuman abilities.”

“Like who?” Tony asked, because it sounded like some kind of black site, where people disappeared, without trial or due process.

“Like him,” Fury snapped, pointing at Loki. “Individuals with enough power to endanger our world, and our civilization.”

“Are you holding a cell for me?” Bruce asked, in a mild voice that still managed to convey an amazing amount of anger.

“No,” Fury told him, unfazed. “Your cell has been occupied since that little incident in Harlem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone leaving kudos and comments! I'm really amazed at the love for this story so far!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting after midnight, so I hope this all makes sense, and I don't regret in in the morning.

Natasha admitted once again to herself that she didn’t get Bruce Banner. She hadn’t thought she was the right person to bring him in, and she was pretty certain she’d handled him wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on how. It had been a mistake to lie to him about whether or not she was alone, she was positive about that, but everything else about his attitude kept going sideways from her predictions. The scientist came across as compassionate and easy-going, but every now and then, she sensed in him a depth of bitterness and rage that frankly terrified her. 

Now he was responding to Fury’s statement in that odd way again, as if he both resented and accepted the fact that SHIELD had made provisions to hold his alter ego prisoner.

Tension hummed throughout the room, as everyone held their breath to see how Banner was going to react.

Everyone except Thor, who was either oblivious or just didn’t care. “Agent Barton,” the god of Thunder broke through the sudden quiet. “Will you allow my brother to heal you now so we can set out?”

Clint stiffened, and his hand, still holding hers, tightened almost painfully. She glanced over at his clenched jaw but didn’t say anything. It was his decision, after all.

“I want to, but I don’t trust him,” Barton told Thor, giving Loki a hard stare.

“How do we know Loki won’t just take him over again?” Steve asked, looking between the two of them. “Or worse?”

Natasha didn’t think he would. The whole S&M scene, not to mention his fucking the Hulk had gone a long way towards convincing her that Loki had truly been out of his mind, instead of playing some con game. She wasn’t totally convinced that he was 100% sane right now, but he did seem to be less crazy.

“That was not Loki’s power,” Thor assured Clint. “Without the scepter, he could not, even if he should wish to.”

“Hawkeye,” Loki spoke up, almost hesitantly, “I agreed to give you the means to end me, if you should chose.” He twisted his hand and something gleamed into existence between his fingers.

Everyone tensed in alarm as they all recognized it as a throwing knife. Loki turned it to grasp it like a dagger, though it had no hilt. “I will give it to you first, then do the healing.”

“Brother,” Thor looked disapproving. “Put the blade away.”

But Clint took a step closer and held out his hand for the knife.

“I will need to make a small cut,” Loki warned. “I’ll need your blood to transfer the knife’s spell to you.”

“Spell?” Now Clint took half a step back, frowning. 

“I will demonstrate-“ Loki flipped the elegant little blade back into a throwing hold, but Thor’s own hand closed around his brother’s wrist. Fortunately for Loki, this also meant Thor’s bulk was providing protection from everyone who had drawn guns at the probable threat. Not that guns were likely to do a lot of harm.

“I think it would be better if I explain,” Thor commented, slowly moving aside, but keeping a hold on Loki’s arm. “You may show off on some other occasion.”

“Fine.” 

Loki looked mildly put out, but Natasha could see no sign of the spite and malicious fury he had previously turned on his brother, and everyone else.

“My brother’s knives are spelled to be summoned at will, and to return to him, in a similar manner as I can call Mjölnir.”

“It is not the same at all,” Loki denied. “It is a far more convenient arrangement.” He extended the knife toward Clint again. “It is dwarf crafted, and will never dull or break, and once the spell is in place, it can never be lost or stolen from you.”

If that was all true, it was a generous gift, Natasha thought. With such a knife, one could never be disarmed. It seemed Loki really wanted Clint’s forgiveness. Maybe he wanted more than forgiveness, even. Looking back on her attempt at interrogating him, she wondered how much of Loki’s anger at her had been pure jealousy. She also wondered how much of hers had been.

“But Barton can’t do magic,” Stark argued. “How is he going to work that?”

“The spell is already set in the knife,” Loki explained with somewhat strained patience. “It requires no further magic.”

“So you could have called them in even with your magic bound?” Steve asked, confused.

“No, Captain Rogers. The cuffs restrict all magic in my vicinity, not just my own. It is a necessary precaution, since most sorcerers do create similar artifacts. Agent Barton will be able to use this, just as he was able to use the scepter.”

And that was not a comparison Clint wanted to hear, Natasha thought, repressing a slight sigh as she saw his shoulders hunch slightly. Now he was even less likely to want anything from Loki, healing or knife. Then he surprised her.

“Give it to Tasha.” Clint took a long step back to where he was slightly behind her. He gave her a look that was part guilt, part belligerence. “She’s better with a blade, anyway.” 

Taken aback, Loki lowered the knife. “You are the one I harmed, Barton.”

“I’m not the only one,” Clint informed the god, almost savagely.

Balked, Loki turned to look at Natasha. “Agent Romanov?”

Moving slowly, she walked up to stand in front of Loki, so close that her thigh brushed against Mjölnir’s handle. “Tell me one thing first,” she ordered, looking down into Loki’s upturned face.

A hint of his former arrogance and dislike resurfaced at her blatant aggression. That was all right, she didn’t much like him either.

“What?”

“Were you really going to kill Clint if you’d succeeded?”

The emerald eyes flashed back to Clint, then away. “Would you believe me if I said no?”

“Yes,” she replied. He had tried to take Barton from her, but at least Loki also saw Clint as something to be valued. She had been letting her emotions get the best of her, and she needed to get a handle on that. She didn’t do well with feelings; she did better with fighting, and they still needed to get Coulson back, and possibly save the world. 

Putting out her hand, she said, “I’ll take it, if you’re still offering.”

He studied her, quizzically, then took her hand, pressing the edge to a fingertip. The edge was so keen that she didn’t even feel the cut as a thin trickle of blood welled up. Dipping his own finger into it, Loki painted three symbols on the blade, lifted it and spoke in a sibilant mutter.

The knife glowed red gold, as if from a forge, then green, then back to its mirror bright silver, then it disappeared entirely.

Natasha raised one eyebrow at Loki, recognizing that he was baiting her.

The superior expression died away, and Loki said, “Imagine it between your fingers, ready to use.”

She didn’t so much imagine it as will it into being. It was cool and shining wickedly when she looked down at her own hand.

“That is awesome,” Stark enthused. “I want one. Only more missle-like.”

“Tasha?” Clint called softly.

“Would you like to test it?” Loki challenged.

“I would.” She let the knife slash out, quicker than thought, and laid open a thin slash across Loki’s cheek. Dark blue blood oozed up, then started trickling down his pale skin like tears.  
Thor made a grab at her, but she faded back out of reach. “Just testing it. He did say it would work on him.”

Loki laughed, pulling Thor back with one hand and wiping at the blood with the other. “I did indeed say so. Thor, leave her be. It’s only a scratch.”

Thor subsided, looking annoyed and fingering the cuffs that hung from his belt like he was regretting his decision to let Loki loose in the first place.

Turning back to Barton, Loki said, “Barton, are you ready?”

Natasha showed him her new knife and nodded to affirm that she would be right beside him to stab Loki through the eye if he tried anything. Clint rewarded her with a little smile before moving to stand where Loki could put both hands on his chest.

“I’m ready.”

After all that, the healing was pretty anticlimactic. A gold shimmer wrapped around Clint for a minute, then vanished, after which Clint eased his arm out of the sling, rotated his shoulder with a pleased expression, and breathed in deeply.

“Good as new,” he declared, to Natasha, and Fury.

Thor moved to put the cuffs back on Loki, who clutched his arms against his chest in protest. Natasha found she didn’t blame him; she loathed being helpless herself. 

“Brother, I must,” Thor pleaded. “Until we know for certain that you will not fall back into madness.”

Loki turned his face aside, but did not fight his brother as the cuffs were locked back in place, and he was returned to a body he couldn’t stand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to all you readers who left kudos and comments! I love hearing from you guys.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Stupid Stark Statement(TM) ahead. See end notes for more.

Tony stepped over and pressed a tumbler of his favorite scotch into Loki’s hand, because it looked like the guy could use a drink. Loki downed it in one swallow, which was a terrible abuse of twenty year old single malt, thanked him and handed back the glass. It slipped from his shaking hand and almost fell to the floor, but Tony managed to catch it in time. “Another?” 

Looking up at last, Loki flashed him a very tiny smile, as if Tony had said something funny, but he shook his head. 

Taking up his own drink, Tony, repeated his offer all around. Bruce and Rogers opted for bottled water, Natasha let him make her a club soda with a twist, and Thor had a beer, which wouldn’t affect him much more than water, if their experiments with overproof vodka was any indication. Barton wanted a shot of whiskey, and Tony let him have it despite Bruce’s concern about mixing it with painkillers. 

“How about you, Nick?” Tony asked, “What’s your poison?”

“We don’t have time for a cocktail party, Stark,” Fury growled. “We need to get moving.”

“Suit yourself,” Tony shrugged. “But before we go, I think you should tell us about what we’ll be facing when we get there, and don’t leave out the details about Phase II.”

“What is Phase II?” Rogers obligingly asked, when Fury’s only response was pissed off silence.

“Weapons based on the Tesseract,” Tony replied. “I should have guessed clean energy wasn’t their only goal.”

“What?” Steve turned to Fury, “Like Hydra weapons?”

“Look, Stark,” Fury snapped, “Just because you got out of the weapons business doesn’t mean we don’t still need weapons. There are threats out there we are only barely learning about. One of them might be descending on Wyoming right now while we sip drinks and bicker.”

“And the gamma research?” Tony inquired sweetly. “Is this Cube where you are continuing your research on the super soldier program?”

Now Bruce looked alarmed. “You still haven’t given up on that?”

“A lot of people are still working on trying to replicate Eskine’s formula, doctor,” Fury informed him. “At the very least, we need to know how to counter it, and the people who've been affected by the attempts at replicating it. Blonsky isn’t the only one; he’s just the most dangerous.”

Except for the Hulk, Fury didn’t say, but Tony could see Bruce thinking it. 

“So tell us about the others,” Tony insisted. “And anything else we might need to know.”

“Maybe Thor should take his brother back to his room,” Fury not too subtly indicated that he still considered the two Asgardians a possible threat.

Tony snorted.

Thor glowered. “My brother is not leaving my side again until we return home.”

Startled, Rogers exclaimed, “I thought you were going to be fighting with us!”

“I am indeed,” Thor answered, gravely. “My brother is coming as well.” So Thor didn’t much trust SHIELD either. Smarter than he looked, Tony thought.

“Come on, Nick,” Tony pulled up a 3D image of the prison and research facility SHIELD had dubbed ‘The Cube’ and projected it so they could all see, “Coulson has those weapons, and he may have the prisoners under his control, so we need to know what we might be facing, besides Loki’s army.”

“Not mine,” Loki protested, along with Thor.

“The army you were sent to bring, then.”

Surveying the room, and his assembled team of disgruntled heroes, Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed explosively. “Fine. I’ll give you a quick overview and provide more detailed reports that you can all go over on the planes.”

“Good enough,” Rogers agreed, before Tony could make a more sarcastic remark.

 

~~~~~~

 

Bruce had tried to pay attention to Fury’s briefing on their upcoming mission, tried to absorb information about the prison’s layout and defenses, and the strengths and weaknesses of the prisoners they might possibly end up facing if a brainwashed Coulson had released and recruited them. 

They were a mix of mutants and individuals like himself, who had done something, accidentally or intentionally to alter themselves into beings that SHIELD now deemed threats, and some of them sounded extremely dangerous, but Bruce ordinarily wouldn’t have let himself get drawn into a fight with any of them. He wasn’t a hero, or anything like it, and the Hulk was almost as likely to end up doing harm as they were.

He’d been brought in to help SHIELD find the Tesseract, and now that it was found, he wanted nothing more than to disappear again, back to India, or South America, or Africa. Somewhere he could offer his basic medical skills to people who otherwise wouldn’t have any help. 

But there was a good chance that they were going to have to fight the Abomination, either before or along with an army from space, and Bruce knew what the creature Emil Blonsky had become was capable of, and what it took to stop him. As terrified as he was of losing control and killing people, he couldn’t just run away.

And he couldn’t put off speaking to Loki, even if they were all hurrying to board separate jets, courtesy of Fury’s paranoia, and Thor wasn’t letting his brother out of his sight.

There probably wasn’t any good time or way to apologize for sexual assault, anyway, so he caught Thor by the arm as everyone exited the elevator. 

“Hey, wait up a minute.”

“Banner, I have nothing to say to you.” Thor pulled out of his grasp easily, but waited. Loki moved to stand just behind his brother, watching with obvious anxiety.

“That’s okay,” Bruce shrugged, paying no mind to the menace rolling off the Asgardian. “It’s your brother I need to talk to, for just a minute.’

“You have no business with Loki, either,” Thor declared, gripping his hammer. “Had I known what you were capable of, I would never have allowed you near him.”

Bruce winced. So did Loki.

“I wanted to apologize,” he offered, because it had to be said, useless as the words seemed in the face of the injury done. “I didn’t mean to… I mean, I wouldn’t usually- I never-“

“Of course not,” Loki interjected, sounding every bit as upset and ashamed as Bruce. “There is nothing to apologize for. You were not yourself.” He wrapped both hands around his brother’s taut bicep and tugged. “Come, brother, we must not keep the others waiting.”

Thor gave Bruce a final threatening look before hauling his brother away to board their plane.

Bruce blew out his breath and ran a hand through his messy curls, absently thinking again about getting a haircut once this crisis was over. Provided they won, of course.

 

~~~~~~

 

Thor and Loki had a plane to themselves, except for the SHIELD pilots, and two other agents who had also opted to sit up in the cockpit area. They weren’t entirely out of earshot, especially as any conversation had to be nearly shouted to compete with the sound of the engines, and, since it was a SHIELD jet, there were probably monitoring devices hidden away to record anything said by anyone on board. It wasn’t a location Loki would have chosen for a heart to heart talk, but Thor had no such reservations.

“Brother,” he began, once they were both seated in the rear compartment, “Can you ever forgive me?”

Loki sighed inwardly, debating whether make light of this, or attempt to put Thor off. He didn’t want to talk about it. Despite what his brother seemed to think, he was not well. And he was not Thor’s brother. At least, not the brother he’d once had. He had no idea who he was now, or even what he was.

“I should not have left you alone,” Thor was continuing. “I thought I was protecting you, not leaving you to face… what happened.”

Oh. Loki ground his teeth a little, biting back anger, sarcasm. So many apologies he would have wanted, and Thor offered this. But still. “You made no objection to Stark, or Agent Romanov,” he reminded Thor, unable to rein back his annoyance. 

“I was not happy about it, Loki,” Thor argued, defensively. “But I knew not how to bring you back to yourself, or back to Asgard, without the Tesseract.”

“Then what is your problem with Banner? Is it the color of his skin, or the size of his member? Were you not just recently trying to tell me of how much you now admire the frost giants? Do you think it likely they are less well-endowed?”

Thor’s face went scarlet. “It is not that!” 

“What, then?”

“Brother, he forced himself on you!”

“He did not,” Loki denied, hugging himself. He wished he might ask Thor, or someone, to hold him. It was childish, or womanish, of him, but he felt fragile, as if he might shatter apart if jostled. 

“You were chained, without your magic,” Thor ignored his protest, as usual. “It is no shame-“

Overriding him, Loki snarled, “I was willing, Thor! More than willing. I wanted it. I enjoyed it! Isn’t that what you’ve been trying to get me to accept? My true nature? My base, Jotun lusts?”

“I did not mean..” Thor spluttered to a halt, confused, with that kicked pup look in his eyes. 

“I don’t want to discuss this!” Loki relented, because it was either that or brawl in the tight confines of this too fragile flying machine, and who knew if Thor would have the sense not to smash holes in the hull and send it crashing to the ground, along with the mortal pilots. “You did what you thought would help. Banner did not harm me. There is nothing to forgive.”

Stubbornly, Thor refused to shut up. “There are other things. From before. I’ve never been a good brother to you, Loki, and I am sorry.”

It took a few minutes for Loki to absorb this, and decide what to say. “I was not a good brother either. Let it go, for now.” 

“For now,” Thor agreed.

 

~~~~~~

 

Clint watched Tasha playing with her new magically appearing and disappearing knife. She had set up a spare bulletproof vest as far off as she could manage within the tight confines of the quintet, and was hurling it over and over. It thwacked satisfyingly into the vest, easily deep enough to pierce the heart or lungs of anyone who would have been wearing it, shimmered away like a wisp of green phosphorescence, and reappeared in her hand when she drew back for the next throw.

It was making him nervous, watching her. “Be careful with that, Tasha.”

Pausing, she looked up at him in surprise, so he scrambled to clarify. “I mean, don’t depend on that knife, when we go into this fight. It might, you know, disappear when you need it most, or something.”

She let it fly, striking deep, and didn’t call it back. “I won’t depend on it,” she promised. “But I don’t think it’s rigged. I think this army and the ones who are sending it are probably just as dangerous to Loki as they are to the rest of us, and he realizes it now.”

“Maybe,” Clint said, reluctantly. “Still doesn’t make him a decent guy, or trustworthy.”

“No,” she agreed, “It doesn’t.”

“What was with that question you asked him, about me?”

“When Fury sent me in to question him, we wound up ripping at each other,” she admitted. “I was worried about you, and really angry at him for taking you. He brought up my past, threatened to kill you, after he made you kill me.”

“Jesus, Tasha,” Clint stared. He wanted to say, “I wouldn’t have. Not ever,” but the words were hung up in his throat.

She shook her head. “I don’t think he would have. He was just…” she paused, studying him in a way that made him uneasy.

“What?”

“I think he was jealous,” she said, with an apologetic half-smile. 

Clint boggled at her. “Of what?”

“Of us. Of what you and I have.”

Heat flushed hot and sudden in Clint’s face. “You think he-“

“I don’t know, but I think he meant it, when he said he was sorry.”

“You can’t mean that I should just forgive him?” he demanded, infuriated at the idea.

“No.” Unperturbed, she continued, “But I am saying you might have a good chance at influencing him, if it should turn out to be necessary. I think he cares about how you think of him.”

“Maybe I’ll tell him to jump off a bridge, then.”

“You won’t.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “He gave you a weapon that will work on him.”

“He gave the knife to you,” Clint protested. 

“That’s not the weapon I meant. Use it wisely, Barton.”

Looking away, he bit the inside of his cheek till he tasted blood, but in the end he nodded, then set the problem of Loki aside until they were done with the problems at hand.

 

~~~~~~

 

Steve knew it wasn’t the best time, but he was fed up. He’d been holding back, letting others take the lead, because this wasn’t his time. Wasn’t his world. A lot of the time, he felt like a foreigner in his own country, able to speak the language, but unfamiliar with half the customs and culture. But they’d drafted him back into service, and put him back in a uniform. He’d only wanted to be an ordinary soldier, once, but they’d made him more. They’d made him a symbol of his country, and as a symbol, he had a higher duty than just following orders.

He’d been disturbed at SHIELD’s treatment of Loki, and worried at the idea of them using the Tesseract to make incredibly dangerous weapons, but it had been increasingly clear based on their very brief briefing on this top secret prison and research station that SHIELD wasn’t answerable to the United States government, but to a shadowy group called ‘The World Security Council’. Clearly, it was past time he found out just who he was working for.

He was supposed to fly with Stark and Banner, but instead he sent them on and boarded the last plane to wait for the SHIELD director.

If the man was surprised to see him, he didn’t show it. 

“Director Fury,” he nodded politely. “I think we need to talk.” Indicating the other agents, he added, “Privately.”

Fury gave him a searching look, then sent his subordinates away. Not that they could go far onboard the quinjet, but it was sufficient.

“Something bothering you, soldier?” Fury asked, taking a seat next to him.

“You could say that.”

“I want to know about SHIELD. I need to know who I’m fighting for. You’re not the U.S. military.”

“No,” Fury agreed. “We have worldwide jurisdiction, but we’re still protecting America, Captain. You’re still on mission.”

“I need to know more about this Security Council. Who are they? Who do they answer to?”

“I can’t tell you that,” Fury shook his head. “Only the highest clearance level at SHIELD is authorized with that information.”

“I don’t feel comfortable taking orders from people I know nothing about.”

“You knew all the people in your chain of command during the war?” Fury questioned, looking unconvinced. “You never followed orders without knowing who they were from, or what they meant?”

“No.” It was Steve’s turn to shake his head. “I mean, sure I did. It was wartime. I was a soldier.”

“It’s still wartime, Captain,” Fury argued. “It’s just a different kind of war. Most of the time, it’s a secret war, against hidden enemies. If we are successful today, nobody on the outside will ever even know that the earth was in danger.”

“I know sometimes secrets are necessary, during a war,” Steve said, slowly, “I just don’t know if I am cut out for a secret war.”

“Howard Stark helped establish our organization. Peggy Carter was one of our first agents. We are the good guys, Cap,” Fury leaned in closer, “Even if sometimes we have to do things that don’t seem like it.”

He reached into his coat pocket and drew out a stack of small, colorful cards, handing them to Steve.

Steve took them, recognizing them at a glance as a set of the Captain America trading cards they’d started making of him, back when he was selling war bonds.

“Those are Phil Coulson’s,” Fury explained, unnecessarily. Steve remembered the agent’s flustered request for autographs. 

“He’s a good man, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get him back. If you don’t want to fight for SHIELD, or for the Council, fight for him.”

It was blatant manipulation, and Steve resented it, but it was effective. He handed the cards back. “We’ll get him back, but once this is all over, I’m going to have to have more information, if I’m going to keep working with your organization. I’m not going to carry that shield for you, without knowing what I’m standing up for.”

“I’ll see if I can get you cleared,” Fury promised. “After this threat is taken care of.”

 

~~~~~~

 

“Did you get a chance to talk to Loki?” Tony asked Bruce, as they settled into the military plane. Tony had wanted to fly himself there, and would have, despite Fury’s veto, except he figured Bruce could really use some company.

“Not really.” Bruce removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, looking tired despite sleeping nearly ten hours after his transformation. “Thor didn’t want to let me near him, and I don’t much blame him.”

“Maybe you can try again later,” Tony offered.

“Maybe.” Bruce let his head fall back against the padded seat and shut his eyes. “Fuck, Tony. I raped him. How do you apologize for that?”

Tony swallowed back several glib remarks, and struggled to be thoughtful. He sucked at thoughtful. “Look,” he offered slowly, “I watched, to make sure he wasn’t going to be crushed or smeared to paste or whatever…”

Bruce looked at him, mortified.

“I really don’t think you can call it rape. Loki was pretty much asking for it.”

“You’re blaming the victim?”

“I’m saying Loki wanted it. He never said no, or stop. He even pulled the Hulk down to him when it looked like he was going to stop.”

“Loki was not in his right mind!” Bruce protested.

“Neither were you, Doc,” Tony pointed out. “Look, it’s more like the two of you were blind drunk and fell bed together. Maybe you were both not exactly rational, but that doesn’t make it rape, in my opinion.”

“Your opinion isn’t the one that matters, in this case.”

“Neither is yours,” Tony countered. “It’s Loki’s. Until you get a chance to talk to him, and find out if he’s pissed, just stop beating yourself up.”

Bruce frowned at him, clearly still wallowing in guilt. Tony added more evidence, “I think if he was pissed, he would have said something about it.”

“Maybe he was afraid…” Bruce suggested.

“Umm… Don’t think so,” Tony grinned. “Did you not notice him getting shot, and then stabbed in the face? He didn’t seem scared by that.”

Bruce huffed.

“Just don’t decide you’re the bad guy until somebody actually calls you one,” Tony pleaded. “And maybe not even then.”

“I’ll think about it,” was all Bruce would promise.

 

~~~~~

 

“Sir, we’ve got positive IDs on three approaching aircraft. All SHIELD jets, ETA fifteen minutes.” Agent Thomason announced, from his station at the security console.

“Very good. Transmit the landing order,” Coulson instructed.

“Are you expecting them to obey it?” Someone asked, from behind him.

“Even if he does, I don’t think he’ll be able to reign in Stark,” Coulson answered, turning around to face his two most dangerous new recruits. “Are we ready to stop them if we have to?”

“We’re ready,” Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, gave Coulson a measured nod.

“And the portal?” Phil asked the green-skinned man whose high forehead stretched up and up above an arrogant expression.

“The device is ready to activate on your order,” Sterns said, making no mention of Selvig, who he resented for being in charge of building the portal generator.

Coulson wondered again just how big a risk he was taking with these two, and the rest of the prisoners. The control of the scepter wasn’t absolute; he could tell that from how much he was able to work around it, but but the portal had to be opened and held open long enough for something to come through, even if they had to fight his own team, his own heroes.

What happened after that was anyone’s guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ````  
> While I do agree that what happened between Loki & the Hulk was not rape, Tony's idiotic statement is very wrong. Rape is not always cut and dried and of course it can still definitely BE RAPE even if the victim does not fight back or even protest, and the author deeply apologizes for even hinting otherwise. 
> 
> Things are going to get very plot heavy for a while, but eventually we will get back to smut.
> 
> Also, infinite gratitude to Tilla123 and DangerousCommieSubversive for moral support and Marvel Universe Villain help!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay, folks. Work, writer's block, yada yada yada. I'll try to do better!

When Nick Fury gave the order to bring their three planes down five miles out from the site, rather than continue on and land at the designated field, as ordered, he didn’t hold out much hope that it would gain them a big advantage. After all, they were expected, and on radar, and if Barton’s experience was anything to go by, Phil Coulson would still be scarily competent and damned near precognitive, even if he was being mind-controlled, and it seemed that he had used Loki’s scepter on nearly a hundred other highly trained SHIELD employees. Having to fight against their own people was a goddamned nightmare situation.

But there was no advantage in just handing yourself over to the enemy, and there had been no threats accompanying the landing orders. He wouldn’t have followed the orders, regardless, but while it was mystifying, it was also reason to hope they wouldn’t be fired on, just yet.

“What’s the play?” Rogers asked, as everyone came together between their planes.

Stark was already suited up and more than ready. “Simple enough. We go get the Tesseract, stop the portal from opening.”

"We need to act as a team,” Steve argued, annoyed.

“You can do both, I’m sure,” Fury said, stepping in front of Stark. “Wait till we decide if you are going to be taking someone with you.” Tony pouted slightly, but refrained from launching himself immediately.

Just as if he’d expected compliance, Fury went on, “Someone needs to take out the main power plant. Without an outside source of energy to jumpstart the process, they can’t open a portal.”

“I can do that,” Steve offered, as Nick had expected. He was highly familiar with infiltrating and sabotaging enemy bases.

“Agent Jankoski will get you the charges and explain the timers,” Nick gestured for one of his men to bring out an already loaded backpack. He extended a smart phone. “This has the schematics loaded, but I can get you print outs if you’re more comfortable with that.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but Steve shook his head and pocketed the phone. “I memorized the layout on the way over. Generator room is in the sub basement, nearest access is a basement door on the east side, but there’s a truck access on the south side that probably has better cover, and fewer doors between.”

“Use your best judgment.” Fury believed in getting the right people and then getting out of their way. “Do you want Stark to take you in?”

Steve looked up from his fast briefing on modern explosives and timers, and shook his head. “I can run five miles in under ten minutes, and I’m less likely to be detected. I’d rather use stealth as much as possible.” He shrugged into the pack. “Anything else I need to know?”

“If you can, once you take out the generator, try to get as many of our compromised people back as you can, by knocking them out. A blow to the head brought Barton around, maybe it will work on the others, and then they can help you, but don’t risk your main objective.”

“Yes, sir.” Steve took off at a run, his mostly blue suit blending into the blue shadows cast by the late afternoon sun.

Nick watched him go, flexing his hands in his leather gloves, and brought up his next concern. “Doctor Banner, did you get a chance to go over the specs of the gamma radiation equipment being tested here?”

“I did, yes,” Banner looked tiredly disapproving. Undoubtedly he would like to say something about how dangerous such work was and how they shouldn’t be doing it, but it was a worn-down argument; SHIELD had transcripts and video of all the interrogations that General Ross had done, and Banner knew it.

Nick was not in the mood for it. “Is there anything we should be especially careful of?”

“It’s possible they could turn on the particle beam generator on a wide array with overloaded amperage and kill everything within a few square miles of here,” Banner said, blackly. “Unless they’ve been injected with whatever your latest attempt at the super serum is, in which case it will create god knows what monsters.”

“I guess we will have to hope they don’t,” Nick replied. “But it isn’t anything that can happen by accident?”

“No.” He launched into technobabble till Fury held up a hand to stop the flow.

“I think it would be best for you to be held in reserve for the time being. If we are lucky, we can send you in during the mopping up to do a safety inspection of the labs.”

“Right.” 

From his expression, Banner didn’t think they were going to be that lucky, and Nick privately agreed. Still, the Hulk was a very big loose cannon, and nobody wanted him out any sooner than absolutely necessary.

Turning back to his two fliers, Nick said, “Stark, Thor, Agents Romanov and Barton are going to need a ride.”

“I would be honored to transport both-“ Thor began.

“Oh, wait,” Stark cut him off, “I almost forgot. I brought something for you, Barton,” he grinned, and headed back into the jet he’d been on, re-emerging after a few moments pushing a large, hi-tech crate.

“Is that a spare suit?” Clint guessed, not looking especially thrilled at the idea.

“Nope.” Tony punched the control pad and the crate unfolded, revealing something resembling the top of a motorcycle built on top of a jet engine. “I call it the sky cycle.”

“You built me a flying motorcycle?” Clint was flabbergasted. 

“It’s a project I put on hold after I started working on the suits,” Tony explained.

Clint grinned like a kid. He could not remember the last time he’d felt so excited. “Fucking A, Stark!”

“I improved the autopilot a bit to fly level so you can shoot your bow at the same time, but it still needs work,” Tony said, apologetically. 

“Will it carry two?” Natasha asked, throwing a leather-clad leg over the seat and running her hands across the controls with a look of intense concentration.

“It should,” Tony said, smirking in satisfaction at their reception of his little surprise.

“I’ll drive,” she declared, finding the on switch and firing it up. The cycle roared to life and rose a few feet into the air.

“Tasha,” Clint couldn’t help the little whine in his voice at being denied control of such a fantastic ride.

“You’re the better shot, remember?” she reminded him, though with guns and knives, she could damned near match him. Before he could protest further, she asked Fury, “What do you want us to do?”

“Whatever you can.” Nick didn’t bother to give them any orders that would contradict what he damned well knew they were going to do. They would find Phil and get him back if they could, or at least make sure he would be safe.

Romanov nodded slightly, and Clint climbed on, popping open his bow and readying an arrow. 

“Now can I go get the Tesseract?” Tony inquired with sarcastic sweetness.

“You may as well,” Fury agreed. “How ‘bout you see if you can draw attention away from the ground, to give Rogers a better chance.”

“I excel at getting attention,” Stark said, locking down his faceplate and turning to Clint and Natasha. “Race you there?”

“You’re on,” Clint yelled, and the sky cycle shot up and off, followed instantly by Iron Man.

“Thor,” Fury turned to the Asgardian, “I need you to go help Stark any way you can. The Tesseract device is probably going to be on the roof, or outside somewhere.”

Thor looked at his sibling, clearly undecided. “I would prefer to take Loki with me.”

Loki crossed his arms and scowled. “Unless you are willing to release my magic, or at least allow me weapons, I refused to be dragged into a battlefield, Thor. Have some sense!”

“Your brother will be safer here,” Nick confirmed. 

“Perhaps you could have a staff,” Thor suggested, clearly unwilling to be parted from Loki.

Fury had an inspiration. “We’ll give your brother a com so you can talk to him and he can call you if he needs you.”

“That would be very reassuring,” Loki agreed, smoothly. 

“Very well,” Thor reluctantly stepped away from his brother, fixing Nick with a look that was possibly meant to be menacing. “You will protect my brother or answer to me!”

“I give you my word, we will guard him to the best of our ability,” Nick answered, unperturbed and not menaced in the least. And they would, too. If for no other reason, Fury didn’t entirely believe the blue bastard wasn’t pulling some kind of con and wasn’t about to let him get any closer to the Tesseract.

“See that you do,” Thor rumbled, whirling his hammer and launching himself into the sky.

Just in time, it seemed. From the perimeter ringing the triangle of quintets, one of the junior agents called out ‘Vehicle approaching, sir!”

A familiar gut-clenching sensation settled in Nick’s middle, but it could not touch his well-honed battle calm. A leader had to show no fear, no nerves, nothing but complete confidence, no matter how fubar the situation.

“Doctor Banner, I would appreciate it if you and Loki would go back into one of the jets.” He gestured at one of the pilots. “You go with them, and if this all goes pear shaped, get them out of range.”

“Yessir,” the pilot agreed, waving Loki and Banner up the ramp ahead of him.

A light haze of dust was being thrown up by the tires of the black SHIELD Humvee coming towards them at a rather business-like speed, bumping along over the rough terrain. 

Fury took what little cover he could, drew his sidearm, and held it at the ready. All around him, the rest of his agents were scrambling to do the same. He hoped like hell this wasn’t about to turn into a firefight. “Hold your fire until I give the order,” he instructed. The Humvee slowed, then jerked to a stop about ten yards from their position. The windows were too darkly tinted to make out anything inside. The engine switched off. The driver’s side door popped open, quickly followed by the passenger’s, and two figures emerged, both clambering down slowly with the kind of caution that bespoke a lack of hostility, combat training, or familiarity with exiting tall military vehicles.

Their shoes appeared first, both pairs civilian but utilitarian, neither expensive or stylish, one in a male style, the other female, though that was only evident in the fact that the first pair was ensconced in a pair of blue and orange argyle socks, followed by a few inches of dark trouser cuffs, while the other pair extended up well-turned, stocking-clad calves. Then both pairs of feet were on the ground, and while the Humvee’s doors still obscured their faces, it was evident that the two figures were both dressed not in any kind of SHIELD uniform, or prisoner’s togs, but each wore a white lab coat over shirt and slacks, and blouse and skirt.

Nick Fury had sufficient experience with scientists not to assume they were any less dangerous than men with guns. He did not lower his guard.

The two figures shut the Humvee doors, put their hands up to show they were empty, and walked forward, both smiling nervously.

“Don’t shoot,” the young woman caroled out. “It’s only us. Not a threat!”

“We’re here to explain!” the young man added, nodding. “Agent Coulson sent us!”

The pair was familiar. It took a minute for Nick to place them. They were the two scientists that had been assigned to work on Loki’s scepter, and had been stolen along with it when Clint had attacked the Heliocarrier. They were both very young and fairly new, but they were both brilliant and innovative, and so much alike and in each other’s company that they were frequently referred to as a unit, with a conjoined name, ‘Fitz-Simmons’. For the life of him, Nick could not remember at the moment which was which. He supposed it hardly mattered, not when they were gazing at him out of two pairs of eyes that shone an unreal blue.

Slowly, not lowering his gun, Nick stepped out from behind the crate that had held Stark’s flying motorcycle, and called back, “What do you mean, Coulson sent you to explain?”

“We can tell you what is going on, and why he would like it if you would call off any attack,” the woman said. 

“Also, if you know of a way to break us out of this mental fixation, that would be good,” the man added. “Seeing as how you must have succeeded with Agent Barton, since he was spotted on one of the surveillance cameras while we were on our way here.”

Nick straightened, lowering the pistol to his side. “What?”

“Yes,” the woman beamed. “We discussed it, and we feel sure that Agent Coulson and Agent Barton would both approve.”

Both scientists smiled hopefully, undeterred by any of the sheer pissed-offedness that had to be showing on Nick’s face.

Fucking magic alien mind control shit made no sense at all. At least, not to him. But he did have an expert on hand, even if it was an expert he didn’t especially trust.

“Keep your hands up,” he ordered.

They did, looking perfectly happy to do so. Nick curtly ordered two of the nearest agent to search them, though he didn’t put a lot of faith in their being able to detect a weapon or gadget if this was some kind of trick. Nor did he bother ordering their hands cuffed. These two were among those who built SHIELD’s most innovative weapons and tools; if they had brought party favors, they wouldn’t require anything so mundane as the use of their hands. For now, he would go with the idea that Coulson had sent them to explain, just as they had said.

Also, it would be like Coulson to want to get them out of range of any fighting that might occur. Fitz-Simmons had never done field work, or had any combat training.

The search revealed only one item in the young man’s pocket that they could not identify, a thin rod-like instrument about ten inches long, with a glowing blue light at the end.

“What is this?” Fury inquired, when the agent handed it over.

The young man turned pink, mumbling something that sounded like ‘sonic screwdriver’.

“Sonic what?” Fury raised an eyebrow.

He spewed a torrent of geek speak. “It emits a sonic pulse of variable wavelength that can be used to affect certain electronics and mechanical devices.”

“You made that yourself?” the woman asked her companion, looking interested. “Does it work?”

“In a limited way, yes,” he answered, blushing a brighter crimson.

“Never mind,” Nick cut them off, sensing that whatever they were talking about had nothing to do with the situation at hand. “Let’s see if we can’t get to the bottom of this little mystery.”

Switching his com to the correct channel, Fury asked the pilot to bring Loki back out. The Asgardian Jotun whatever he was had claimed not to know much about the alien scepter, but he had to know something, and Nick wanted to get at least a little more information.

 

~~~~~

 

“I’ll dig up some coms for you two after we find out what’s up,” the pilot promised, as he shut the jet’s door behind him.

Loki nodded absently, following the mortal to the front of the plane to peer out the windows. He couldn’t see very much from this angle, though, just the backs of some of Fury’s people. He could tell they they were holding weapons at the ready, but not much else. Peripherally he was aware of Banner hovering behind him, watching him but keeping his distance. 

Extending both arms, the pilot attempted to herd them towards the seating area. “I need both of you guys to go strap in, in case we need to lift in a hurry.”

“I would know what is happening,” Loki protested, barely refraining from striking the mortal for his presumption.

“Please let me do my job,” the man said, clearly harassed and anxious. “I can’t have you in the cockpit right now.”

“Come on, Loki,” Banner gingerly took his arm and tugged him away. “We’re in the way.”

Wrenching free of the doctor’s grip, Loki stalked back to his chair and sat, though he disdained the seat belts. Banner did not fasten his either, Loki noted in passing, as he stared at the obdurately opaque walls. 

“Um,” Banner cleared his throat. “We didn’t really get a chance to talk before. About what happened.”

Jarred out of his increasingly darkening thoughts, Loki looked up in confusion. “What?” 

“With you and me. I mean, you and the other guy,” Banner corrected himself. “I really am sorry, I don’t know-“

Oh, here was an outlet for some of his building anger. Keeping his voice as frigid and biting as the winds of his birth world, Loki cut in, “Despite my current appearance, and my fool of a brother’s behavior, Doctor, I am not some weak and helpless virgin maid whose virtue you despoiled.”

“That’s not the point,” Banner went on doggedly. “It was wrong-“

“If your other self had not intervened,” Loki overrode him determinedly, “I would have gone on using Barton, which would have been a much worse thing.”

“But I- you- The Hulk is-“ Banner stammered, then regained some control over his voice. “You were suffering from some kind of chemical imbalance, and I- WE- took advantage.”

“Seeing as how my needs were apparently met,” Loki snapped, “I think it could be argued that I was the one using you. I see no point in discussing it further.”

Banner looked mutinous. “Pretending everything is fine is not the answer.”

“I am pretending nothing!” Loki clenched his fists as if to clutch hard to his tenuous reason. “If this world does not burn, and I am not retaken by those who promised me I would long for something as sweet as pain should I fail them, I will be dragged back to my home as a criminal and most likely sentenced to death or eternal imprisonment, or maybe I will be returned to the race of monsters that tried to kill me as an infant and they can finish the job.” 

He paused, gasping for breath, grasping for self-control, before going on more smoothly, “Of all the things that have befallen me since I first learned who I really am, what happened between you and myself was least unpleasant by far, Doctor Banner. I am sorry if you don’t feel the same way.”

Banner’s cheeks flushed pink. “I’m afraid I don’t remember.”

“Then maybe you should not be so quick to assume.”

This silenced the man, and Loki went back to trying to listen for any scrap of information for a few minutes. The jet’s engines were on but idling. The pilot wasn’t saying anything, and as far as he could make out, there was no sound of gunfire.

“You don’t really think-“ Banner started. 

“Yessir, Director,” the pilot’s voice was calm, no sign of concern. The hum of the engines died away, and the man came back out, dropping his helmet and announcing, “Director Fury wants you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again to Tilla123 for helping me plot and encouraging me and allowing me to vent and piss and moan and ramble. 
> 
> Also, very belatedly, thanks to Icemaidenstory, from whom I have borrowed the concept of Jotun ice maidens, though I have tweaked the concept a little. You should all go and read her work, it is terrific stuff!
> 
> I just couldn't resist giving Hawkeye his flying motorcycle, though it is not a Stark Industries invention in the comics, but hey, I'm playing mashup with the movie and comics verses, otherwise known as 'fast and loose'. That sounded a little slutty, didn't it? 
> 
> I have no evidence to support it, but Fitz-Simmons both strike me as likely 'Doctor Who' fans, and Leo Fitz seems like he would try to build his own sonic screwdriver!
> 
> As always, I beg you to shower me in kudos and bombard me with comments, or questions, or corrections if you see any mistakes.


	23. Chapter 23

Slightly winded, Steve drew to a halt in front of an unguarded door in the compound’s outer wall and paused to consider the multiple security checks. There was a retinal scanner, a palm scanner and a numeric keypad. His scans were in SHIELD’s system, he had been been entered when he’d gone aboard the Heliocarrier, but he wasn’t authorized for entry here, so that was out. Fury had given him a long string of numbers that he’d called a ‘master code’, which he’d promised should open any SHIELD lock or computer program, but if he used it, it was bound to send an alert to someone inside, letting them know this door had been opened.

He’d also been given a grappling hook and line to go over the wall, along with the equipment to take out the high-voltage wires, which would also sound an alert, but not give away his exact location.

Taking a single step back, he looked up at the wall, then back at the keypad. Then he looked at the mostly flat, mostly wide open terrain he had just traversed, in broad daylight. Stark had claimed to have taken out the cameras, but anyone on the roof with a pair of binoculars could hardly have missed his approach.

Steve’s gut told him this was a trap, but there just wasn’t any choice but to go in anyway, and going over the wall would take longer. He took his shield off his pack and slid it over his arm where its weight settled with comfortable familiarity, and punched in the code.

The door buzzed and swung open at his touch. Steve leaped through, shield up, scanning for an attack.

Nothing happened. No one rushed him. No one shot at him. There was no one in sight. A few birds were chirping sedately from perches along the wall, and insects droned. Nothing else.

At least not until the roar of the Iron Man suit shot by over head.

Steve activated his com. “Stark, do you copy?”

“Loud and clear, Yesteryear,” Stark replied, with his usual irreverent glee. “Everything all right down there?”

“No sign of resistance,” Steve told him. “It’s a little too good to be true. Are you seeing anything?”

“Looks like the party is up on the roof. I’m not seeing anyone on the ground at all.”

“Copy that.” Steve took off for his chosen door. “Watch your butt up there, Stark.”

“You worry about your own, Cap. Mine is covered in gold titanium alloy.”

“Just be careful.”

“Roger, wilco and don’t take any wooden nickels!”

Steve had a final glimpse of Tony gaining altitude and coming in over the roof of the main building, before he reached his destination and once again entered the master code.

Once again the door opened on empty silence.

Nevertheless, he used caution threading the maze-like corridors of the basement. He had almost reached the door to the subbasement, and had started to relax a little when a door opened a few yards in front of him. Steve dropped into a crouch, letting his shield fall into his hand for a possible throw.

A petite young woman in a white lab coat had stepped out, and was now staring at him with mingled relief and alarm in her lovely brown eyes. According to Agent Barton, anyone being mind controlled by Loki’s scepter would have eyes that shone bright blue.

“Oh my, thank goodness you’re here!” she cried in a dulcet British accent that reminded Steve heartbreakingly of Peggy.

He lowered his shield. “What are you doing here?”

“If by here you mean the Cube, I have no idea, but if you mean this basement, then I’m hiding, obviously.”

Taking a closer look, he saw that her coat was dirty, and she smelled slightly of smoke, and there was a bruise on one cheek and a small abrasion on her forehead. “Are you hurt?”

She touched the bruise and shook her head. “Just a few bumps and bruises. I was under the psychothaumaturgical influence of that alien artifact, but there was an explosion in one of the labs where I was working. There was this flash, and when I woke up, I wasn’t. I’m not sure why.”

“You must have hit your head hard enough to shake the mind control,” Steve guessed. “That’s what happened to Agent Barton. We aren’t sure if it requires the concussion or the unconsciousness.”

“Really? That’s good to know. That we can get our people back with a solid knock to the head,” she said, looking encouraged.

“That’s what we’re hoping.” Belatedly, he asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m Jemma Simmons, I’m a biochemist with SHIELD R&D.”

“I’m Steve Rogers.” He put out a hand and she gripped it tightly.

“Oh, I know. This is really quite exciting. Everyone in our department was following your case when they got you out of the ice. It was just thrilling. I was a little sorry not to have been involved in that research. There is so much we could learn from you, so many potential scientific breakthroughs.”

“You should really get out of here,” Steve cut her off, a little guilty about being rude, but he hated being treated like a science experiment. He started to push past her, heading towards his goal.

“There are no guards out there, and Director Fury is here with three planes five miles due east of here.”

“Wait,” she hurried after him. “I can help. I mean, maybe I can help. I’m not a field agent, but I have been here a few days and I know the layout. Where is it you’re trying to go?”

“The generator room, but I have the floor plans memorized.”

“They’ve barricaded some of the doors, but I can get you there,” she promised brightly.

Steve hesitated. Part of him insisted that he should not let her put herself in danger, but then he considered what Peggy would have said about him trying to keep her from doing her part. “All right,” he agreed. “But I go first.”

“Of course,” she nodded. “We need to go to the end of this hall and turn left.”

This already deviated from Steve’s memorized route, but there was another stairway down in that direction. He followed her instructions as she guided him through the twists and turns, offering her key card when they came to the first locked door. He had already started entering the code, so it was unneeded. He gave her a smile and thanked her for the offer, though.

The utter lack of resistance had been too good to be true, and in the subbasement, they finally ran into a troop of SHIELD agents, accompanied by a one of the prisoners Fury had warned them about. John Horton, who, like Steve, had been made into more than human by science, and who now looked more myth than man.

Steve had barely registered the wings and clawed paws where hands should be, and the thick, coarse mane framing a dead white face before the creature launched itself at them with a yowl, and bullets were ricocheting off his shield.

He slammed the shield into the Griffin’s fanged face and got a foot up to kick the creature solidly in the solar plexus, knocking it back. It came up snarling.

“Quick, this way!” Jemma yelled, and took off down a side hallway.

Steve ran after her, quickly catching up and putting her over one shoulder. He could carry her faster than she could run. Shots rang out behind them.

Despite the jouncing she was receiving, her voice was only a trifle breathless. “We want the door at the end of the right corridor.”

As she instructed, he turned left at the end of the hallway, passing half a dozen doors on either side to come to a door directly in front of a T-junction leading away to either side.

The door was far heavier than any of the others they’d passed, more like a bank vault’s, with a more complex lock and a communications screen next to the palm reader. The generator room? Steve tried to bring up the map in his head, but was distracted by the sight of the angry monster flying down the hallway at them.

Jemma squirmed out of his hold before he could put her down and started frantically working to get the door open while Steve fended the Griffin off, battering back swipes of long claws that shrieked across the vibranium of his shield.

“In here, hurry!” Jemma yelled, catching the waistband of his uniform to drag him through a doorway into a large room.

It was completely empty, and had high ceiling and walls that looked like solid steel, but were peppered with huge dents. Too late, Steve’s brain traced the route they had taken to end up in an area his floor plan had outlined very prominently in red, with ‘EXTREME DANGER: NO UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL’. This was the Abomination’s cell, but luckily, the Hulk’s deadly enemy wasn’t in it.

Spinning around, he saw Jemma push a big red button next to the three foot thick door. It slammed shut with a deafening clang.

He lunged for it, but it was too late. He tried the code, three times, but it stayed locked. “What are you doing? You’ve locked us in!”

“I know,” she answered, in a new and completely different voice, and her skin rippled, along with her clothes, like a wave of feathery scales, changing color and form, and turning Jemma Simmons, British SHIELD scientist into a lithe, nude blue woman whose photo had been in the roster of potentially dangerous criminals being held here.

Steve felt like an idiot. He had read about this mutant, this Mystique, that she could assume the identity of anyone, but he’d forgotten all about it and just followed a pretty and helpless seeming female like a fool.

He tested the com link, “Stark? Romanov? Can anyone hear me?”

The blue woman smirked. “They won’t be able to hear you. The walls are twenty feet thick.”

“Open the door!” he growled, reaching for her.

She evaded like smoke, tsking. “Not until it’s time, Captain.”

“Time for what?” He demanded, making another grab.

She leaped, summersaulting away with a white grin, and catching his thrown shield. “To retaliate,” she said, cryptically, “Against the ones who are using us.”

Steve stared at her, and realized that her eyes were not the golden raptor’s eyes that had gazed out of her photograph, but bright, shining blue.

 

~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back to trying to work on both my fics at once, and I'm going to try to post a new chapter of each this weekend. Which one gets updated next after that depends on how many kudos and comments each get. It's a contest, vote for your favorite, get it updated sooner!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chitauri arrive at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, everyone, but on the plus side, this chapter is a bit longer than usual!
> 
> Thanks again to tilla123 for beta reading! 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~~~~

~~~~~~

Tony felt a tiny twinge of guilt after he cut the com with Rogers. He didn’t much care for the guy, but part of that was his resentment of Howard’s obsession with Captain America. He could admit he hadn’t made any effort to get along. Instead, he’d been pretty much an asshole in every encounter they’d had. He wasn’t sure he wanted to do better, but he did want the option.

Spinning in midair, he located the sky cycle and its riders. The bike seemed to be performing well, for a prototype, and Romanov looked like one of Hell’s most dangerous angels. Barton looked frustrated with a distinct lack of targets. The whole base seemed deserted, except for the stork-like figure of Erik Selvig up on the roof, puttering around a perilous-looking device.

“Hey Red!” he called to her, “How’s about you and Robin Hood go down and help out Spangles. Thor and I will take care of things up here!”

“You’re sure?” Natasha queried, looking over the situation for herself. Just because there was no one else here at the moment didn’t mean a small army couldn’t storm out the roof access doors at any minute. SHIELD had made their building annoyingly impervious to infrared scan.

“Yeah,” Tony waved up to Thor, who moved in closer. “We can handle it, can’t we, Sparky?”

“Aye!” Thor shouted. “Of a surety, with my might and Stark’s cleverness, we will free Erik and regain the Tesseract!”

“You bet,” Tony grinned behind the faceplate. “We’ll call you if we need you. Go make sure 1940’s boy can figure out a digital timer.”

She nodded once, curtly, and veered off towards the door Rogers had entered.

The massive energy readings coming from the device were lighting up the HUD like an evil, anti-Christmas. Tony could just make out the glow of the Tesseract, getting brighter and spinning in what had to be a magnetic field, its energy sparking and arcing like the mother of all Tesla coils, before being drawn up into some kind of focusing lens.

It looked like it had just been switched on, but so far it hadn’t opened a portal. Hopefully, it would take time to get warmed up, or charged up, or whatever it was doing.

“Erik!” Thor slammed down on the rooftop, brandishing his hammer. “You must cease this!”

Tony dropped lower but continued to hover over the portal generator. A very strung-out and bedraggled Erik Selvig looked between him and Thor.

“Shut it down, Doctor Selvig!” Tony ordered, though he didn’t hold out much hope of that being likely.

“It’s too late!” The astrophysicist yelled back. “She can’t stop now!” He was beaming excitedly, and looked completely insane. “She wants to show us something! A new universe.”

O-kay… reasoning with Selvig was not an option. Move on to blowing up the device. Thor closed on Erik and grabbed him, shaking him as if that would help.

Tony started to raise his hands, and found he could not move. “Jarvis? What the-“

“What foul magic is this?” Thor was snarling, also frozen in place as Selvig wiggled out of his grasp. “My armor will not obey me!”

“Mine either,” Tony informed him, arming a round of mini-missiles in hopes a target would present itself.

His hope was rewarded as a figure in an orange prisoner’s coverall stepped out of one of the guard towers and strode over to stand beside Selvig. The man gave Thor a considering look and lifted him up to float impotently next to Tony, then turned a lean, aristocratic face up towards them both. As tempting a target as Magneto was, Tony didn’t want to hurt the enthralled astrophysicist. He fired instead at the device.

Disappointingly, all the tiny rockets totally ignored all their targeting programs and flew off into the distance to explode an innocent patch of dirt and rocks.

“Stark!” Magneto’s voice rang out. “While I am under a compulsion not to harm you, I will not hesitate to peel you out of that armor like a lobster if you try anything else.” Blithely, the mutant ignored Thor’s increasingly loud threats and demands to be released.

Tony called up page after page of specs, looking for a way out. It was loathsomely ironic that his suit, which was all about freedom, had been made into a personal prison. A back corner of his mind started planning a new suit, made of nonmetallic material, in which he would kick Magneto’s ass once this was all over.

As little as Tony liked asking for help, now seemed like a good time to make an exception. He opened the coms to the rest of the team. “Uh, guys, Thor and I could use a little help up here.”

“Tasha and I are a little busy right now,” Barton answered, and Tony could hear yelling and gunfire in the background. “The basement is full of SHIELD personnel, and the Griffin. We can’t contact Cap.”

“We’ve got Magneto up on the roof. He’s protecting the device. We can’t get near it.”

“Is it too late to shut off the outside power source?” Romavov asked, slightly breathless. Over her com link, Tony could hear crashing and the crack, smack and thud of hand to hand combat, accompanied by the snap of her wrist gauntlets discharging.

The Tesseract whirled faster and faster, spilling out an increasing flow of light. It looked exactly as it had on the security tapes SHIELD had salvaged from the rubble of Project Pegasus, just before it had generated a beam of-

Explosive blue-white light shot into the sky, seeming to burn away the cloudless turquoise in a slowly expanding hole, revealing an ominous blackness.

“Yeah, too late for that,” Tony groaned. He opened the coms to the whole team, and to Fury as well, even though the phenomena was probably visible from where the SHIELD director was. “Portal’s opening, guys. We need a plan B.”

Thor had stopped yelling, but was having no better luck freeing himself than Tony. Overhead, a massive thundercloud seemed to be boiling up in response to his anger.

~~~~~

The doors were the first obstacle. Clint didn’t know how Rogers had made it past them, unless it had been his capture that had prompted Coulson, or someone, to change the codes to shut out Fury’s override. But he and Natasha were both experts at infiltration, and most of the locks were electronic, not mechanical. The few she was not able to finesse, he managed by rewiring consoles, shorting out panels, and when all else failed, inserting one of his acid-filled arrowheads between the door and the jamb.

It was a relief not to run into any SHIELD agents, but it was too good to last, and as they opened the door to the subbasement that had been the Captain’s destination, they were met with a spate of gunfire that sent them ducking back Clint armed an arrow with a tear gas canister and launched it through the door. The gunfire continued, in short bursts, with irregular pauses between.

“They’re trying to keep us pinned down here,” he told Natasha, even though she probably already realized that.

“We can’t afford to wait,” she told him, and he knew she was asking him if he was going to be able to do this, fight and maybe kill his fellow agents, maybe even those who he’d used the scepter on, who weren’t to blame for this fucking nightmare, who couldn’t help themselves anymore than he’d been able to not shoot Fury, or get some poor guy’s eyeball carved out, or help Loki steal the Tesseract.

“I’ll go first,” he insisted. He had a few nonlethal tricks up his sleeves. Hell, maybe these were some of the ones he’d personally brainwashed, and they would still listen to his orders. If not, maybe he’d get killed, and then he wouldn’t have to live with the guilt.

“It’s me, Barton!” he yelled, taking out an net arrow and leaning in to scan for a likely target. All he could see was an empty hallway, lined with doors. One or more gunman could be standing just inside any of them. “Stand down!”

“Sorry, Barton!” someone yelled back, sounding truly apologetic. “No can do! Coulson says soon, though!”

Natasha had stepped up to the other side of the doorway, gun at the ready. Even with years of knowing her, he couldn’t read her face well enough to tell if she was as confused by this as he was.

Well, no point in waiting any longer. He made a dash for the first door. Someone in a SHIELD uniform leaned out, pointing a riffle. Clint fired. The arrowhead burst into an expanding net of sticky fibers that wrapped the shooter in an instant, gun and all.

A second gunman leaned out a different door and Natasha was on him while Clint armed a taser arrow. He had just let that fly at a third person, this one in a guard’s uniform, when a low, rumbling snarl echoed down the hallway, swiftly followed by a man-sized creature that ran on all fours, great wings like an eagle’s fanning the air as he bounded forward. In his wake, more men were exiting doors, but Clint didn’t have time to take a count.

The com link hummed to life in his ear with Stark’s bad news. Clint let Tasha talk while he dodged and fired arrow after arrow. He quickly ran through all his net, bolo and taser arrowheads, and was improvising with smoke, acid and grapple arrows when it occurred to him that he and Tasha should be dead. Or at least wounded, or incapacitated. They were both two of SHIELD’s best, true, but even without the Griffin involved, he’d estimated that there were at least twenty well-armed SHIELD agents and guards fighting against them, and by definition, SHIELD agents were no slouches. If they had meant to kill him and Natasha, they could have managed it by now.

He was less sure of the Griffin, but for the moment the thug turned super creature was stuck fast to the floor, courtesy of a couple of well-placed glue arrows.

Natasha finished choking some poor guy out with her thighs, and Clint signaled her to stop. She gave him a frown, but ducked back behind cover and waited for him to explain. He didn’t really have an explanation, just a theory, but he was sure nobody had been killed yet. If he was right, maybe they could keep it that way.

Lowering his bow, he stepped out into view and yelled, “Time out, guys! Cease fire!”

Everything stopped, except for the Griffin’s grunts and growls and struggles to escape. No fewer than ten armed men and women had already been brought down by one means or another. The rest were peering out of doorways, waiting silently for Clint and Natasha to make the next move. It was eerie as fuck.

“Okay, guys,” Clint let his bow hang slack and put his free hand on his hip. “What the hell is going on?”

~~~~~~

 

As he rejoined Director Fury’s group, Loki saw that there were two new additions, both wearing the white coats that designated research scholars on this realm. They were both rather slight, and as far as he could read the ages of mortals, young. When they turned to look at him, they both had the bright blue eyes that indicated mind tampering by Thanos’s scepter.

The female’s eyes went wide with what looked like wonder, and she took a step towards Loki, causing him to halt in mild alarm, lest she grab him, or in some way attack him for getting her into this shambles.

“You’re him!” she exclaimed. “The alien! Fitz, isn’t this exciting?”

The dark haired young man looked much more appropriately resentful. “A bit too exciting, in my opinion.”

“I do apologize,” Loki told him. “We think we know how to deliver you from this coercion, so try not to worry.”

“That’s what I wanted you to explain to me,” Fury stepped up, glowering. “They already asked if we would free them.”

“And?” Loki wasn’t sure he understood the problem. “Why haven’t you?”

A muscle jumped in Fury’s forehead, hinting at a deep suppressed anger. “Because it’s just a little too Br’er Rabbit for me to feel comfortable with.”

Loki looked at the man, then at the two researchers, and back, wondering if the All-Speak had unexpectedly failed him. “Brother Rabbit? I don’t understand.”

“He’s saying it makes him suspicious that they are asking us to free them,” Banner explained, having followed Loki out.

“Right. Shouldn’t they want us NOT to free them?” Fury demanded.

“No. Why would they not want to be released?” Loki felt a little bewildered at the idea. “Mind control is unnatural and highly unpleasant on the subjects.”

“But they know we want to stop them from doing what they are supposed to be trying to do, which is to open a portal, so why are they willing to help us?”

Loki shrugged. “It makes perfect sense that they would wish to help you in any way that does not directly involve their programed direction. Such spells are almost always meant for single commands and short term actions. The scepter instills two commands, and the effect has already lasted longer than I would have believed possible.”

“So it’s not permanent?” the young woman asked eagerly. “Even if you hadn’t found the cure, I mean?”

“If the scepter could create subjects who would be persistently loyal, I would not have needed an outside army to take over this world,” Loki pointed out, reasonably.

The reminder that he’d attempted to conquer them garnered him a collection of displeased looks ranging from awkwardly embarrassed to murderous. Loki crossed his arms and suppressed an urge to apologize. He did intend to express his remorse and make what amends he could, but this was hardly the time or the proper setting.

“All well and good,” Fury countered, adding an eye twitch to his repertoire of facial tics. “But how can we believe anything they say?”

“That’s why we wanted you to break us out of the psychothaumaturgical influence first,” the woman chirped. “We thought you would be more likely to believe us after.”

“Thaumaturgical is just another word for magic, and it’s not magic,” the young man informed her. “It’s some kind of brainwave alteration, possibly caused by a powerful magnetic field.”

“I know it’s not magic, but I had to call it something, and you didn’t find any evidence of a magnetic field generator when we examined the scepter,” she argued.

“That doesn’t mean there wasn’t one. It could be manipulating an ENTIRE segment of the EM spectrum that we can only infer by other effects.”

“So you’re saying you didn’t find out how the scepter works before Barton arrived and used it on the two of you,” Bruce guessed.

They nodded, almost in unison. “Though we did find some things, like how the scepter was producing infrasound waves, which might have accounted for the negative emotions of anyone around it for very long.”

“It was also painted with a chemical that was almost identical to a drug called Yohimbine,” the woman added.

“Really?” Bruce perked up. “Was it meant to be absorbed through the skin?”

“We believe so,” she affirmed.

“What is this drug?” Loki asked, feeling nauseous as he recalled the arrogant smile on the Other’s face as he placed the spear in Loki’s ungloved hands.

“It isn’t exactly the same,” the woman blushed, “And without knowing more about your biology, there’s no saying how it might affect you.”

“What is it you think it does, though?”

“Well, in humans it is an aphrodisiac, but in high doses, it can also induce stress and anxiety, sometimes even hallucinations and panic attacks.”

Betrayal upon betrayal, then. It seemed Thanos had been taking no chances that Loki might come to his senses.

“While that is all very fascinating, Fitz-Simmons,” Fury opined dryly, “It isn’t relevant to the problem at hand, which is the two of you.”

“The portal device is ready,” He shrugged one shoulder. “There’s nothing else we can do to help with that.”

“And Agent Barton told us to do whatever Agent Coulson wanted, which is what we are doing,” the woman smiled.

Fury didn’t smile back. “Which is what, exactly?”

Loki felt the pulse of Tesseract energy wash over him like a wind from between the stars, and knew what he was going to see even before turning to look. A spear of light, burning through the heavens to reveal the void beyond. The temperature had not changed, but Loki suddenly felt cold.

Fury cursed.

Everyone looked to the sky in dismay, but the young woman answered the director’s question.

“Whatever comes through, we mean to stop it here.”

“All right,” Fury growled, bunching up a fist and stepping up to the young man. “I think I’m going to need those answers now.”

The young scientist had only a moment to register alarm before Fury’s uppercut laid him out like a felled steer. The woman, surprised and alarmed, shrieked and rushed to make sure her colleague was not badly hurt. He groaned as he began to rouse.

“You know,” Loki commented, looking down at Fury’s victim, “I think a momentary unconsciousness might be induced a little more gently by cutting off the blood flow to the brain.”

“I thought it required a hard blow to the head,” Fury snapped, shaking out his fist.

“Girl,” Loki called, trying to get the female’s attention. “Young woman!”

“Simmons,” she corrected him, acerbically. “Jemma Simmons. Or even Doctor Simmons, as I have two PhDs.” She turned her ire on Fury. “That was completely uncalled for!”

“Simmons, then,” Loki amended, “Have you slept at all since being taken?”

“No. None of us has slept.” She slid an arm around Fitz’s shoulders and helped him sit up. “There’s been too much to do. Can he at least have a cold pack?”

“That’s all they need?” Fury growled, sounding vaguely outraged, “Sleep?”

“Or just a period of unconsciousness, perhaps.” Shrugging, Loki admitted, “I can’t say for sure, but you can always try the hard blow to the head if it doesn’t work.”

“You know, you might have mentioned this before now,” Fury pointed out.

“You did not ask.”

 

~~~~~~

 

As well as he was able from his frozen position, Tony watched the portal expand. When nothing else seemed to be happening, he turned back to Magneto. Maybe he could play for time, or get some answers.  
“So, this compulsion not to hurt me, that’s from Coulson, right?”

“Yes, Stark.” Atypically for a super villain, the man said nothing else, but only stared up at the sky, as did Selvig and Thor.

Tony’s brain vacillated momentarily between terror and boredom. Boredom won by a hair. “What is it you’re waiting for? Where is Coulson, anyway? I want to talk to the guy in charge.”

As if in response, there was a sudden thrumming and grinding sound, followed by the whine of hydraulics, and part of the roof folded up and back, allowing some type of freight platform to slowly rise up, revealing the scaly, gray-green, spiked monstrosity who had once been a captain in the British Royal Marines, but was now known primarily as ‘The Abomination’.

Thor roared in frustration and renewed his struggles to get down and attack. The Abomination roared back, brandishing fists like giant morning stars. But as he rose higher and higher, two other highly incongruous figures appeared alongside him.

The first was a small, almost weedy figure in prison orange beneath a white lab coat. Well, small except for his head. His bright green skin contrasted with his orange and white attire to make him resemble some kind of flower. Probably the kind that caused people to break out in hives.

The other man was average in height and build, with an average face and average black suit, but Tony was well aware it was all camouflage. There was nothing average about Agent Phil Coulson.

As the elevator platform came level with the rooftop and locked in place with a loud clang, Tony noticed that the Abomination was towering over the other men about three feet more than his massive figure normally would, because his taloned feet were floating that much off the ground. Since levitating was not listed as one of the creature’s abilities, Tony hazarded a guess that this trick had something to do with the small remote control Doctor Sterns was carrying and pointing at him. Some kind of antigrav device?

“Mister Stark! Thor!” Coulson called, stepping forward and striding over to stand between Selvig and Magneto. “Thank you for coming.”

“Well, it’s not my usual kind of party,” Tony replied, “But I thought I’d check it out. I have to say it’s pretty dull so far. No music, no dancing, no bar, or even a lousy bowl of chips. You are officially on my decline list from now on.”

Coulson’s dry smile was strained as he looked past Tony and Thor up at the portal. “I think things will liven up when the band gets here.”

“And tall, gray and scaly? He’s what? Your bouncer?”

“More an insurance policy,” Coulson explained. “I have no plans to release him. As long as nothing interferes with our orders to get that army here, we won’t need him, and he can go back to his cell after this is all over.”

He smiled up at Thor and Tony, wry and affable. “In case Fitz-Simmons hasn’t convinced him, please tell Director Fury that it really will be in all our best interests if the Avengers will allow us to carry out our instructions before you and the rest of his people attack.”

The weird thing was, Tony sort of believed him. And hey, not letting the Abomination get loose did sound like the kind of plan he could get behind.

Thor, however, had other plans. Screaming, “I will not allow it!”, the Asgardian swung up his hammer by ripping his arm free of the confining vambrace and sleeve, sending metal flying like shrapnel. Lightening poured into the hammer, illuminating Thor’s determined ferocity.

Magneto had captured the shed metal and was sending it hurting back at Thor, and Coulson was yelling “Thor! Wait! Listen!” with the kind of panic that made Tony start to chime in on Coulson’s side, brainwashed or not. But he didn’t get the chance.

Thor leveled the hammer at the portal device and blasted it. There was a flash of whiter than white light, an ear-shattering boom, and a shockwave like the sweep of a giant’s fist across a chess board, knocking all the pieces to the ground.

Tony also went flying, but he quickly regained control and reoriented towards a scene of chaos. Coulson and Magento had gone down together, and were helping each other up. Selvig was in a heap at the side of a retaining wall, which probably saved him from falling off the roof. Thor had regained his feet and raised his hammer for another attempt on the energy barrier that protected the device.

Sterns lay like a puppet with his strings cut, and too late, Tony realized that the remote he’d been carrying, which now lay a few feet from his green, limp hand, had been operated by a dead man’s switch.

“Oh, shit.” Tony breathed, as the Abomination, now free of his cage of antigravity, rose to his feet and charged straight at the god of thunder. Thor met him midway, delivering a mighty blow that staggered the creature momentarily. Then it retaliated with a punch that sent Thor flying past Selvig, through the thick concrete wall and out of sight. The Abomination leaped after him, ignoring the repulsor blast Tony shot at him.

Thor was ready and willing, calling down another bolt of lightning, so Tony decided the god would be fine for the time being. He had other fish to fry. But when he took aim at Magneto, the mutant only gestured absently and dragged Tony down to stand in front of him and Coulson, who looked frazzled and pissed and very much like himself despite the freaky blue eyes.

“Look, Agent,” He attempted, but Coulson wasn’t having it. He pointed at the sky with his chin. “You look, Stark.”

Tony looked. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of silvery specks were pouring out of the gaping wound in the sky. Increasing magnification and resolution, he was able to discern them as small craft, not unlike his sky cycle design, each carrying at least two armored riders. “Right,” he muttered. “Army.”

There was a loud crash from below, where Thor and the Abomination were too involved with each other to look up.

“I hope you brought Banner,” Coulson said. “We’re going to need him.”

Tony found himself able to move again. He was just unsure one what to do first, blast Magneto? Bring Coulson to his senses? Do something about that invasion force arrowing down on them?

“I think it is time,” Magneto mysteriously declared, gazing up with an expression of dislike, as if he were facing an oncoming swarm of biting flies, but had his trusty can of insecticide at the ready.

Coulson gave him a nod. “Go.”

Magneto rose into the air, heading up to meet them. Tony launched himself after him, but before he could make up his mind which enemy to attack, the first wave of invaders all began to crash into each other in beautiful, fiery explosions. The next group, recognizing a threat, started shooting some type of energy weapon at both of them. That just wouldn’t do. No way was he being outdone by Mags.

 

~~~~~~

Clint did not get his explanation. Wrenching loose at the cost of some skin and feathers, the Griffin bowled into Natasha, yowling like an angry cat when she discharged her Widow’s Bite into his chest, then tore off down the hall. Clint’s last tranquilizer arrow flew home into the creature's flank just before it disappeared around the corner. The dose was configured for humans, so Clint didn't know how well it would work on the enhanced Horton. The remainder of the opposing SHIELD personnel retreated after him, their boots tromping as they fled.

“Do we go after them?” he asked Tasha. “Or look for Steve?”

“No need for that, Hawkeye.” One of the agents that they’d knocked out was rousing, rubbing an aching head and sighing. Clint belatedly recognized him as John Facchino, from Human Resources. His eyes had turned back to a striking hazel.

Tasha trained a pistol on the man anyway. “What do you mean?”

“We- They’ve done what they had to do. You need to get the Captain out and head up to the roof. The portal is open. Something’s come through.”

“Where is Steve?” Natasha asked, deciding not to waste time on explanations at the moment.

“The big door at the end of the hall,” Facchino pointed. “You can’t miss it.”

Clint asked, “What about you?”

“I’ll take care of these guys,” he indicated his fellow fallen agents. “I’ve got more first aid than combat training anyway.

“Secure everyone who is still under the scepter’s influence,” Tasha ordered. “We can take care of them later.”

She didn’t wait for Facchino to answer, but took off at a run towards where Steve was supposedly being held. Clint followed, hoping that things would start making sense again soon.

 

~~~~~~

 

“Stark,” Nick Fury’s voice grated in his ear as Tony fired off a round of smart missiles. “You want to tell me what’s going on over there, or do I need to come take a look for myself?”

“I’ll send you my camera feed,” Tony replied, figuring it would be quicker than trying to explain, especially since he wasn’t 100% sure himself what was happening.  
“Basically, we’ve got aliens coming through, Phil seems to be back on our side, along with Magneto, and Thor and the Abomination are busy kicking each other’s asses.”

“What about the rest of your team?” Fury asked.

“We’re alright, sir,” Romanov responded. “Barton and I will be along in a few minutes, as soon as we’ve retrieved Steve.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~~~
> 
> As usual, I want to hear from you guys! Tell me what you think, or me questions. I love comments, and kudos too.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay! At least this one is longer.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~~

Natasha had not survived as long as she had by taking anyone’s word for things; so despite Facchino’s apparent release from the mind control, and Tony’s report that the Abomination was outside fighting Thor, she did not attempt to open the door to the cell before calling up the camera feed from inside and seeing for herself that Steve was in there. He appeared to be unharmed, but upset and wary, based on her quick read of his body language.

He also had been standing at the far end of the large cell, which was why she was taken just a little off-guard when she opened the door and he tried to bash her face in with his famous shield.

Her reflexes had her ducking, grabbing his arm and falling backwards, letting his momentum work for her as she brought up her feet to propel him off and away in a classic judo throw. The shield went flying as he somersaulted like a gymnast, rolling up onto his feet a split second after she did. They were up on their feet in a flash, and she peripherally took in a glimpse of Clint’s startled face behind a drawn bow, and then a second Captain America was there, snatching up the fallen shield.

Natasha blinked at this unexpected copy. Clint boggled. The first Captain took advantage of the distraction to sprint away, vanishing around a corner just as the pertinent information about a certain mutant prisoner clicked into place and Natasha ground her teeth, making a mental note to have words with Facchino later, if they both survived this mess. Even someone who flew a desk at SHIELD’s HR department should have thought to mention that Rogers hadn’t been alone in that cell.

“Sorry about that. She caught me off guard.” the Captain apologized. “Should we go after her?”

“That was Mystique, right?” Clint queried, looking their remaining Captain up and down with a slight air of uncertainty, though it would hardly make sense for Rogers to have been the one to attack and then run off. Unless, of course, they had managed to use Loki’s scepter on him, and this was the doppelganger.

Ignoring their questions, Natasha asked one of her own. “Captain, what did Loki give me back at Stark’s tower?”

He caught on instantly. “He gave you a knife that would work on him, after Clint refused it.”

“Do you get what is going on around here?” Clint asked him, somewhat querulously.

Rogers shook his head. “She led me into a trap, but it seemed like she just meant to delay me.”

“Us too,” Clint nodded.   
“Figure it out later.” Natasha cut them off, even though she was just as curious. “Right now we need to get up to the roof and help stop this army.”

“The portal’s open?” Steve had been out of the loop, trapped in that cell.

Clint added, “And the Abomination is loose.”

“So is Magneto, and he’s just as dangerous,” Natasha said, “We also saw the Griffin. No sign of Sterns, though.”

The Captain hefted his shield and squared his jaw determinedly, the very embodiment of a hero. “We’d better get going.”

Not being the heroic type, Natasha shared a tiny smile with Clint, who was refraining from rolling his eyes. It wasn’t that they didn’t respect the man’s courage. It was just that his guileless, direct approach itched against their spy-trained natures.

With a wave in the direction that Mystique had fled, Clint replied, “After you.”

 

~~~~~~

 

Dropping to one knee next to Selvig, Phil Coulson first checked his pulse and found it strong and steady. There were no obvious injuries, beyond a few scrapes and a slight trickle of blood from a scalp wound, but he could rule out the possibility of internal injuries or broken bones. He was just considering what he might use as an improvised cervical collar when the astrophysicist’s eyes fluttered open. The blue glow was gone, leaving them a washed-out, bloodshot blue and filled with confusion. Interesting.

Phil put a hand on his shoulder. “How are you feeling, Doctor Selvig?”

“Terrible,” Selvig groaned, pushing Phil’s hand away and attempting to lurch to his feet. “What happened?”

“Thor tried to destroy the device, and the shockwave knocked you out.”

“Did he succeed?” Selvig asked, suddenly hopeful.

“No, I’m afraid I miscalculated his disposition. Now Blonsky is loose, and we have an invasion in progress.”

When Phil offered a hand to assist him, he took it and allowed himself to be hoisted up. He swayed a little, taking in the undamaged device and the portal overhead with slack-faced dismay, putting a hand to his head. “The scepter- Loki’s scepter. The energy.”

The man sounded agonized. Phil sympathized. The doctor had been under the artifact’s control longer than anyone, and as the designer and architect of the portal device, he probably felt most responsible.

“The Tesseract can’t fight, but you can’t protect against yourself,” Selvig stammered on, not entirely coherent.

“It’s not your fault,” Phil offered. “You couldn’t stop it, none of us could.”

Like a puppet with its strings cut, Selvig dropped back down on his rump, shaking his head as if to clear it. “Actually, I think I can.” He waved a hand towards the device. “I put in a safety to cut their power source.”

“Loki’s scepter?” Phil was impressed. He assumed that Selvig had been resisting in some way, just as he was, but he hadn’t been able to get around the mental control to communicate with him about what it might be.

“It might be able to close the portal.”

A shadow fell over them, making Phil look up just in time to grab Selvig and pull him out of the way as a crumpled, flaming alien craft smashed into the roof. This wasn’t a safe place to be, and Selvig had given him a new goal.  
“Let’s go get it, then.”

They ran for the roof access door, dodging more falling debris and even a scorched alien body that splattered on impact, its rusty black blood narrowly missing them. At the last second, Phil remembered that Sterns had also been knocked out by the blast. The man was a crazed megalomaniac, but he wouldn’t have been up here if not for Phil.

He turned back, looking first to where his memory said the man had fallen, and then scanning everywhere. There was no sign of him, and no time to go back and search. Chitauri were landing, firing energy weapons, and above, something gargantuan was coming through.

Selvig either didn’t know where Phil had been keeping the scepter, or was too tired to keep up, because he was a flight of stairs behind when, at the bottom of the first floor stairwell, Phil ran headlong into the three people he had most wanted to see here, and safe.

Romanov, Barton and his boyhood hero all stopped dead in their tracks, staring at him in grim consternation.

“Barton!” he exclaimed, his own relief at war with the unnatural slavish happiness that lit up at the sight of the person he was compelled to help in any way. “Selvig is right behind me. We know what we need to do!”

“So do we,” Barton said. “Sorry about this.” He leaped at Phil.

Out of reflex, Phil blocked, yelling ‘Wait. Barton!” But they weren’t listening, and the scepter’s control would not let him fight back. Natasha’s choke hold allowed for no more argument as the world washed in blue went dim and dimmer, finally drowned out with his frantic thoughts on a tide of black.

 

~~~~~~

 

The first and second waves of invaders had been annihilated with such ease that Tony had been reminded of playing the first few rounds of Galaga. But then the Chitauri went to a boss level, sending in a bone-plated space whale approximately the size of Stark Tower.

Enemy soldiers rode along its sides, firing their weapons from under protrusions along the creature’s armor. They had clued into Magneto’s ability to use their metal body armor against them, and had divested themselves of it. The mutant was still able to take their guns with ease, but they had other tricks, like poisonous gas clouds and hurled energy grenades.

Magneto and Tony had been driven back to fight from a safer distance, and they were still picking off the individual fighters reasonably well between dodging the gas, explosions and energy bolts, but nothing they had done so far had any effect on the space whale, and rather than stick around and fight, it seemed intent on leaving the area.

“Hey, Jarvis,” Tony called up a local map and started a quick search of the nearby area, “any idea where this thing is headed?”

“No, sir,” the AI replied. “There is insufficient data to speculate on its goals, thus far.”

“Well, is there anything nearby for it to attack, besides cows?”

“Beside the people who own the cows?” Jarvis answered, acerbically. “The town of Gillette is 83.6 miles in that direction, and is centrally located in an area involved with the development of vast quantities of coal, oil, and coal bed methane gas.”

So probably it was a bad idea to let it go there, whether it was to blow it up, or refuel. Time to turn it around.

Tony increased power to the thrusters and got out in front of the hideous thing, then gave it a blast right on what passed for a nose. It bellowed gratifyingly and gave chase. Now where to lead it to?

Overhead, Magneto was taking on two more space whales and a second squadron of flyers. Below, Thor and the Abomination were making rubble and scrap metal out of what looked to be the facility’s parking lot.

According to SHIELD’s evaluation, Blonsky wasn’t exactly the supposedly mindless rage monster that the Hulk was supposed to be-though Tony had his own beliefs on that appraisal. Blonsky just loved to fight, and had stupidly turned himself into a monster, just to get a chance at taking on the Hulk. So far, he and Thor looked pretty evenly matched. Maybe it was time to give them both a bigger challenge.

“Heads up, Hammertime!” he called over the coms, as he veered downward, all the while evading pot shots from the aliens riding piggyback, “I am bringing the party to you!”

Thor was too busy being pounded with a flattened SUV to answer, but as the shadow of the leviathan fell over him, the Abomination finally looked up.

Geez, he is a lot uglier up close, Tony thought, feeling his heart give a weird little flutter against the case of the arc reactor as he realized that he had neatly sandwiched himself between two giant monsters with the potential to flatten him like a flimsy aluminum can.

Thor threw off the remains of the mangled vehicle and hoisted his hammer, grinning like a blood-crazed psycho, and Tony started trying to decide which way to dodge.

Then Blonsky crouched. Roared. Leaped past Tony like a cannon ball of spiked muscle. And punched the space whale in the face with such force that it jackknifed up, its bony plates ripping free and taking most of its riders with them as they tumbled to the ground.

Tony fired rockets into the newly exposed joints at its neck, as the Abomination clambered up onto its back, ripped off a section of remaining armor and jammed it deep into the wound. Thor flew up to bring his hammer down on the end of the plate, driving it home.

The leviathan bucked and thrashed, plunging down to crash into a corner of SHIELD’s building, taking down walls and part of the roof. Thor and Blonsky held on all the way down, delivering blows with fist and hammer. It shuddered violently, taking out more of the building, then lay inert.

Tony swooped down just in time to see Thor give his recent opponent a loopy grin and get belted for it. His snigger of amusement was cut short by Jarvis informing him that there were more fighters pouring through the rift, and four more of the leviathans, and they had all gone off in separate directions.

 

~~~~~~

 

Loki watched as what had been promised him as ‘his’ army emerged from the portal, spreading out, dividing the defending forces, which was a decent tactic, but thus far he was not especially impressed, despite the size of the flying creatures. Of course, it would have been a different scenario altogether if they had come through over a densely populated city, as had been his plan. The idea now made him rather nauseated.

He listened to the commentary over the earpiece he had been given, trying to make sense of the battle’s progress, and vehemently refused to worry about Thor and his stupid tendency to go at any enemy head on, without strategy or thought.

All around him, the mortals were buzzing with activity. The two young scientists, once freed of the mind control, had begun a babble of explanation about Agent Coulson’s plan to keep the invasion far from civilian areas and gather the defenders here. They had also brought out a case of weapons that they had developed, with swift-acting, non-lethal bullets that Fury had handed out to his agents with the intent to storm the facility and get back the rest of his people. Fury himself had gone back into one of the jets to answer a call from his superiors.

No one was paying the slightest attention to Loki, leaning against Fitz-Simmons Humvee. Why should they? Had he not been shown to be helpless? Useless? Naught but a dupe and a puppet for Thanos, soon discarded once his purpose was served. Loki ground his teeth. Even without his magic, he was not weak, no matter what Thor and his friends had been prone to say. Nor was he a coward, simply because he had refused to go into battle without his magic. In truth, he had half-expected Thor to give in and free him. Absently, he worried the cuffs, uncaring that he had chafed the skin of his wrists raw.

“Are you worried about your brother?” Banner asked, startling him. He’d been so focused on watching and listening what little he was able to of the distant battle that he’d let the mortal come to stand by his side without taking notice.

Resentfully, Loki muttered, “He is not my brother.”

Banner removed his glasses and polished them on the hem of his shirt. “Not by blood, maybe, but blood isn’t everything.”

“Shouldn’t you be out there, smashing things?”

“Maybe later. Fury asked me to wait till he’s talked to the World Security Council.” He shrugged, looking both resigned and uneasy. “Fitz says one of Coulson’s reasons for choosing this site was that SHIELD could drop a small tactical nuke here if they had to. There are no civilians living within thirty miles.”

“I see.” Loki only had a vague idea of the destructive power of such devices, from his spying on Selvig’s project and Barton’s intense briefing on the forces most likely to be deployed against him. “Drastic measures.”

“It probably won’t come to that,” Banner offered. “Not that SHIELD isn’t just as prone to overuse force as any other military agency, but it would attract a lot of attention, and these people love their secrets.”

Leo Fitz had wandered over to eavesdrop, and now spoke up. “Besides which, we can’t be sure that even a direct hit would take out the energy barrier around the device. If it didn’t, we’d have the portal still open and the device in the center of a smoking, radioactive crater. Not a good scenario.”

“It would be better to drain the barrier’s energy off,” Loki suggested, thinking out loud.

“Do you know of a way to do that?” Banner inquired, his gaze sharpening.

Loki opened his mouth to say that with his magic restored he could probably do it easily, but was distracted by Barton’s excited voice in his ear.

“Director Fury, we’ve got Coulson and Selvig back. They say they can close the portal.”

Stark and Thor came on to crow over this good news, and Fury calmly replied, “Get it done, then, Barton. I’ve got us some air support on the way. With any luck we can get the ones who’ve already come through before they reach any civilian populations.”

“Yes, sir.” Clint signed off.

Banner slumped against the vehicle next to Loki and smiled. “Good news, right?”

Loki guessed that the doctor was hoping his green alter ego would not be needed after all. “Yes,” he agreed, hoping it was so. He continued to gaze up at the dark spot in the sky where waves of flyers and leviathans continued to periodically come through.

“You don’t think what they have planned will work?” Banner asked, noticing Loki’s lack of confidence.

“I hope it does,” Loki replied, as a creeping dread took hold of his thoughts. The Chitauri army simply was not the kind of threat he’d been led to believe. Even if he had remained free to direct them, they were not an overwhelming force compared to the human’s military prowess. Considering how delusional he had been, they would have likely been even less effective, if they’d been under orders to obey him at all.

In retrospect, nothing about this was making any sense. Loki had been half coaxed, half coerced to come to Midgard and steal the Tesseract. He had been cozened into a try at conquest, persuaded that he could retrieve his demolished self-worth, and maybe even the regard or at least the respect of his foster father, if he could make of this backwards realm a peaceful, prosperous place.

The mad Titan’s desire for the Tesseract was understandable, of course. With it in his possession, he could escape the far reaches of the multiverse where he had been banished. He could wreak death and destruction once more in his never-ending courtship of Lady Death.

But Thanos gained no advantage by giving Loki a world, either to ruin or rule, and it was clear that he had not trusted Loki. Why would he not take some other steps to make sure he would acquire the Tesseract?

“What are all of you looking at?” Simmons asked, having come in search of her friend. As was natural, she also turned her eyes up to the sky to look at what was holding their attention.

“Fitz?” Her voice, usually cheerful, now carried a note of concern. “Is that thing supposed to be expanding?”

 

~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~
> 
> As always, thanks to everyone who leaves kudos and comments! It is really heartening to hear from readers!
> 
> And thanks again to tilla123 for helping me catch errors.


	26. Chapter 26

“It’s not here.” Phil made a third circuit of the small hazardous materials room where he had secured the alien scepter after using it on all the staff and most of the inmates here at the Cube. He felt stupidly like a man who had mislaid his keys, searching the same area over and over again, but this room was simply not that large, and the scepter was not small enough to be casually overlooked.

“Are you sure this is where you left it?” The question came from Captain Rogers, who didn’t know Phil. Neither Natasha or Clint would have asked him that, he knew. They had such faith in his competence.

At the moment, Phil didn’t feel very competent. He’d been without sleep for over sixty hours, while trying to think in circles around the fact that he was organizing the invasion of his own planet, in an attempt to stymie the same invasion. 

“Could Fitz-Simmons have taken it out to run more tests?” Selvig suggested, hopefully. “Should we check their lab?”

Phil shook his head, trying to think despite his fatigue. Everywhere, alarms were shrilling out messages of fire and doors opened without authorization, breaking what little was left of his concentration.

Seeming to recognize part of Phil’s problem, Clint put an arrow into the nearest blaring speaker, cutting the volume of sound down to a more tolerable level.

Phil rewarded him with as much of a smile as he could dredge up, under the circumstances. “I appreciate the thought, but I think you had better hang on to the rest of your arrows.”

Hawkeye shrugged, unconcerned, even though his quiver looked to be half-empty already. “So should we check this lab?” he asked.

It was true that Fitz-Simmons had been frustrated at not being allowed to continue their study of the scepter, but if they had managed to get it out of here, would they have left it in their lab? Searching the entire Cube while it was under assault certainly was not a good plan. Phil had left the two scientists mostly unsupervised, but he had checked in on them a few times to observe their development of the nite-nite guns, both in person and on the- 

“No, we need to get to the main monitoring station.” A wave towards the ceiling showed one of the cameras trained on the door to this room. The entire building was monitored; whoever had taken the scepter and where would have been recorded.

It wasn’t as simple as that, of course. The automated fire suppression systems had kept the damage to a minimum in most places, but there had been damage to the wiring in some places, and without power, some of the doors had to be blown by the explosives in Steve’s pack. Some hallways were dark, and a pall of smoke was everywhere, stinging their eyes and making throats and lungs burn.

Also, the aliens were roaming the corridors in packs, firing at anything that moved. They were vaguely humanoid in shape, but with other characteristics that reminded Phil of a cross between lizards and zombies. Despite their seemingly advanced weaponry, they didn’t strike Phil as very intelligent. They didn’t coordinate attacks, or attempt ambushes, or utilize any strategies at all except to shoot at people, and destroy anything with glowing lights, to judge by the mangled remains of every control panel and computer screen they passed. 

Despite the danger, fighting beside Captain America was Phil’s childhood dream come true, and at least twice, he found himself just staring in awe at the super soldier’s speed and uncanny ability to use what should have been an unwieldy metal disc as a highly precise weapon. After the second time, Steve glanced up and caught him at it.

“Which way, Agent Coulson?” Steve asked, and as he had on the plane ride to the Helliocarrier, he pretended not to notice Phil’s lapse into fan boy mode.

Recovering as best he could, Phil schooled his features back to ‘bland’, despite the heat in his cheeks and ears, and hurried forward to the next turn, then keyed open their destination and stepped in. The others followed, gathering around him as he found the backup power and rerouted it into the surveillance system.

After the computer shunted him into screen after screen of alerts, queries and error notices, he managed to call up the video log of the hazardous materials storeroom and checked the time stamps. Assuming his party had been the last ones there, he called up the next to the last entry. 

Someone had come and gone from the storeroom eight minutes before he had arrived, which ruled out the Fitz-Simmon’s theory. Phil set the video to play. On the monitor, the door opened, and through it strode Doctor Samuel Sterns. He picked up the scepter and briskly walked out again.

Phil called up the cameras for the hallway outside the storeroom, where he picked up the progress of Sterns, who was accompanied by three SHIELD agents and the Griffin.

Steve frowned at the screen. “I fought that flying lion guy and some of others on the way in.”

“So did we,” Natasha agreed. “They were mind controlled.”

“Weren’t they working for you?” Barton asked. “Could they have been anticipating you’re needing the scepter to close the portal?”

“Doctor Selvig,” Coulson addressed the shellshocked astrophysicist, “Did you discuss using the scepter to close the portal with Sterns? Even theoretically?”

Selvig shook his head, uncertainly. “I don’t think so. A lot of it is kind of hazy now, but Sterns is brilliant. He could have figured it out for himself…” 

Coulson didn’t waste any more time speculating on it. Instead he picked though what he could of the video feeds from cameras that had still been operational, and tracked the green-skinned criminal’s progress. His hopes, which had not been very high to begin with, sank as Sterns and his small group made their way not up to the roof, but down. The few Chitauri that they ran across, upon seeing the spear in Stern’s hand, had backed down and allowed them to pass unmolested. After that, there was nothing. All the cameras in the sub-basement were offline, and Stark had hacked all the outside cameras earlier. 

“We can ask Stark to look for him,” Natasha suggested. “There’s not a lot of cover out there for them to hide out, and even if they managed to steal a vehicle, they can’t have gone far yet. Fury should be able to intercept.”

“Hang on a sec,” Coulson directed, scanning through the remnants of the system for clues. 

Sterns wasn’t the type to attempt a bold, spontaneous escape; he was a perfectionist, and a planner. Phil had not told anyone where he had put the scepter, but Sterns had found out, and found a code or override to open the locked doors, which implied he’d been well into the compound’s systems. Phil put a knuckle to his lips, thinking hard. He had never been stationed at the Cube, but he knew they studied gamma radiation and other dangerous things here. It wasn’t located nearly a hundred miles from any town just for secrecy sake. Lab accidents were a real concern, and SHIELD was a big believer in contingency plans.

Phil backed out of the page he was on, searched for the emergency protocols and put in his level seven clearance number. The screen flashed, cleared, then brought up the bad news.

Refusing to groan out loud, Phil said, “Tell Fury that the evac shuttles have all left. Tell him to alert agents at the arrival points, and send backup if he can.”

“What escape shuttles?” Steve asked. “I didn’t see anything like that on the plans.”

“It was classified. Strictly need to know information,” Phil informed him. “There are tunnels beneath the sub-basement, with four high speed shuttles for evacuating personnel in case of an emergency. Now they are all gone.”

There was nothing else he could be do about that for now. Phil turned back to Selvig. “Doctor, is there any other way to shut the the Tesseract down?”

“Maybe,” Selvig grunted disgustedly. “With a month or two to work on it.”

Phil wanted nothing more than to put his head down on his arms and howl. But that would not help. He squared his shoulders instead. “What if we got you some help? Bruce Banner?”

“Bruce?” Selvig brightened slightly. “Has SHIELD been keeping him in a place like this somewhere? How long would it take to get him here?”

“About ten minutes by jet,” Natasha answered, “But I don’t see how we can get him here instead of the Hulk.”

“I thought he had a pretty good handle on his transformations,” Phil said, looking at Clint and Natasha’s doubtful expressions. Selvig looked mystified, not knowing Doctor Banner’s secret.

Somewhere nearby, something exploded. The lights went out, leaving only the dim glow of the exit signs.

“Maybe it would be better to get you to Banner instead,” Phil decided.

 

~~~~~~

 

When the group of scientists had gone to Fury with their latest concern, Loki had trailed along to listen. He would have liked to have gone unnoticed, but the interior of the plane was small, and he was nearly a head taller than Banner, Fitz and Simmons. The Director spared him an irate look, but didn’t try to eject him. He would have refused to go, of course, but he didn't think he would learn what he wanted to know if there should be an altercation.

“I wasn’t sure at first,” Simmons was saying. “I only had the flying creatures for scale, and it was possible that they are varied in size, and we don’t have any proper instruments. We had to get Iron Man to take a series of visual readings.”

Fitz picked up the narrative. “Mr. Stark has confirmed that the size of the portal is expanding at a rate of .375 kilometers per minute.” 

“I assume this is bad,” Fury quipped. “You want to tell me why?” 

“We just don’t know enough yet,” Simmons responded, unhelpfully. “But it may collapse in on itself, like the one at P.E.G.A.S.U.S. 

“Which would be good,” Fury countered, not seeing any downside to that, since this time there was no building around the portal.

“That depends on how big it gets before it implodes,” Fitz said, darkly.

“Not to mention that it appears to be space on the other side,” Bruce pointed out. “How is it affecting our atmosphere?”

Fury glared. “Are you suggesting that all our air might be venting into space?” 

“I’m saying we should find out, at least,” Bruce said, shrugging.

“That’s just what we need.” Thoroughly disgruntled, Fury opened his own com. “Stark, can either you or Thor tell whether or not that hole is leaking atmosphere?”

There was a long beat of silence, then Tony’s voice, unusually hesitant. “Not without going through it. Which I might be able to do…”

“Negative, Stark,” Fury barked.

“Hell no,” Rogers adamantly agreed. “That’s a one-way trip, Stark. We need you here.”

“Cap, you cursed!” Tony crowed. “I’m impressed!”

“Can it, Stark.” Fury sighed. “Rogers, are you still with Coulson? What’s the estimate on getting the portal closed with Selvig’s plan?”

“Umm,” Steve hemmed. 

“Sir,” Coulson, who Fury had not had a chance to talk to in person since he’d been kidnapped and brainwashed into masterminding this disaster, suddenly came on the com. “We were just about to call you. I’m afraid we have some bad news.”

 

~~~~~~


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hand wavey science ahead! 
> 
> Thanks again to tilla123 for all her help! Go check out her story 'If I Had My Hammer'. It's really fun.
> 
> ~~~~~~

Panic was rising like a tide in Bruce’s blood, and he could barely pay attention to what was being said over the coms as Coulson and the others conferred with Fury on the best way to get Erik Selvig safely out of the compound, in order to join him in somehow coming up with some means of closing the portal. From a distance. With no equipment, or means of testing, or time to do it. 

The hole in the sky continued to expand at a slowly increasing rate, like a blot of darkness that threatened to devour them all, and everyone was looking to him to stop it. Though he had read all SHIELD’s files on the Tesseract(or at least all they had given him, he hardly believed it had been all their data) Bruce hadn’t the first idea how they might break through the energy barrier.

“Well, Doctor Banner?” Fury turned to face him. “What do you think?”

I think we are all going to die. Bruce struggled to keep his breathing even, maintain a slow, steady heart rate. Or maybe everyone but him. Maybe even the cold and vacuum of space couldn’t kill the Other Guy. That would be just his luck. 

Choking back a hysterical laugh, Bruce shook his head. “Maybe if we could rig up a powerful EMP device, we could interrupt the power long enough to remove the Tesseract. But there’s no way of being sure it would work. The Tesseract gives off a shifting spectrum of energy.”

“Coulson said Thor can direct lightening. We might be able to direct that power into a EMP bomb of some kind.” Fitz volunteered, “Or we could attempt a sustained effect with ring of a microwave beams , or create an anti-electron field generator around the device.”

“All of those things would take days, even if we had the equipment on hand,” Bruce argued. 

A bleak kind of anger was beating at his intellect, pounding like surf at his reason and threatening to consume him. There was no way he was going to be able to do this. He couldn’t take this much stress. How could they expect it of him? In the back of his mind, the monster lurked, eager to be free, eager to solve all their problems with his fists.

“We might have it here,” Fitz countered. “The Cube is a gamma energy research facility. They have a lot of the components you would need.”

“And Iron Man and Magneto could probably do all the heavy lifting and wielding and wiring, so you wouldn’t need anything like a scaffold or a crane,” Simmons enthused.

“Except that they are a little busy fighting off an alien army that’s pouring through right over where they need to build this,” Bruce could not help but point out.

An unexpected voice broke into their debate. “I could do it.”

Everyone turned to look at Loki, who stared back at them all with a half-defiant, half-determined expression. “I know far more of the Tesseract’s workings than any of you. With my magic unbound, I could shut down the portal easily.” 

Since he had managed not only locate the Tesseract with ease, but to use it to transport himself to Earth from either an unimaginable distance, or from another dimension entirely, Bruce was inclined to grant Loki the superior expertise. 

“There’s no such thing as magic,” Fitz declared, but no one was paying him any attention.

“You are not going anywhere,” Fury informed Loki with cold finality. “Unless it is further away.”

“Do not be a fool!” Loki snarled, clenching his fists. “It is plain that this so-called army is naught but a ploy to keep this world’s defenders occupied for however long it takes for Thanos to draw your world into his domain. He will gain the Tesseract, and offer the lives of your race as a sacrifice to Lady Death, along with my brother and myself.”

“We have only your word for that.” Fury stood to face him. “Frankly, I don’t trust you as far as I could throw you. You were working with this Thanos. You came to this planet to steal the Tesseract in the first place, and now you want us to just let you waltz up and take it? I don’t think so.”

Fitz-Simmons watched this clash with confusion and mild concern, but Bruce had a sinking feeling that Fury was playing Loki exactly wrong. Not that he knew if trusting Loki was a good idea either. The blue-skinned being did seem more rational, but Thor, who knew him best, had described him as highly devious, a schemer and a trickster.

“I don’t require your permission, mortal,” Loki intoned coldly, reaching up to activate the ‘send’ button on his earbud. “Thor, I need you to come and get me.”

Everyone except Loki and Fury stood like statues, barely breathing as they watched this volatile interplay and listened to the plane’s speaker for Thor’s reply. Instead, they heard only the random reports of the fighting, from Thor and all the others.

Fury calmly walked to a compartment in the cargo section of the plane. 

Loki frowned quizzically after him, and made another try. “Thor, can you hear me? I want to help.”

Fury returned, carrying a very large, bizarre-looking gun. “He can’t hear you. I turned your transmitter off.”

Outrage blazed in Loki’s red eyes as he scanned the interior of the quinjet. They came to rest briefly on Bruce, then flicked back to Fury. 

“How easily you betray those who have offered their help,” Loki purred dangerously. How will you explain it to Thor when he returns, I wonder? You have yet to see the extent of my brother’s temper.”

“I’ll worry about that when the time comes,” Fury replied. He hoisted the heavy gun and leveled it at Loki’s face. “You like this?”

Warily, Loki took a short step backwards, his chained hands rising waist high in a warding gesture.

“We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer,” Fury said. “We made it from the salvaged parts.”

Whatever a ‘Destroyer’ was, it hadn’t been any part of Bruce’s briefing, so it wasn’t very enlightening to him, but Loki was scowling, and a hint of what looked like fear played about his features. His hands curled into fists.

Fitz and Simmons both backed up as far as the small space would allow, both pale. Bruce would have liked to leave, but he was backed into cockpit, and Loki and Fury were both between him and the door.

“Even I don’t know what it does,” Fury went on, shrugging slightly to indicate that he wasn’t concerned about that. Clearly he thought it would do something impressive, anyhow.

“So unless you care to find out-“ Fury motioned that Loki should take a seat.

“Sir,” Fitz’s voice was low but insistent. “I am pretty sure it will blow up this plane with all of us on it.”

From the peeved expression Fury turned on Fitz, Bruce guessed the director had been mostly bluffing, and didn’t appreciate the interference. But he had taken his eyes off Loki, for just a split second.

Exploding into motion, Loki shouldered Fitz aside, grabbed a double handful of Simmons lab coat, lifted her off her feet entirely and flung her bodily at Fury, who was forced to lower the gun to catch her. She gasped out a confused apology, though it was hardly her fault, as he pushed her haphazardly into a nearby seat and resumed a firing position.

By the time he did, Loki was somehow standing behind Bruce, with the chain of his wrist manacles wrapped around Bruce’s neck. Automatically, Bruce’s hands rose to clutch at it, to try to get loose. 

“Loki,” he pleaded breathlessly, as the links bit into his neck and fingers alike. “Don’t do this.”

Loki pulled him closer, his cool breath ghosting across Bruce’s ear. “I need your help, Doctor.”

Now Fury grimly pointed the gun at both of them, and Bruce’s gaze was hypnotized by the large bore aimed seemingly at his face.

“Wait, wait!” Fitz yelled, and Simmons urged, “Everyone needs to just calm down. We can talk about this!”

“You understand what it is like,” Loki’s whisper was desperate, cajoling. “Small-minded fools trying to imprison you, wanting to use you to suit their own purposes, and never recognizing the danger they bring on own heads.”

Bruce’s pulse throbbed against the chain. He felt light-headed, and wondered if it was from fear or loss of blood to the brain. He hoped it was the latter. Maybe he would pass out. His fingers scrabbled weakly as he and Loki swayed like drunken dancers, with him uselessly trying to free himself from Loki’s more than human strength. His breathing quickened into a ragged pant as it got harder and harder to breathe.

“SHIELD has a cage for you on their heliocarrier, do you know that?” Loki asked. “Barton told me all about it. It’s meant to drop you from a great height. Do you think when they are finished using you that they will just let you go?”

Fury denied the accusation, “I assure you, Doctor Banner, we have no intention-“

“Like you promised Thor I could contact him if I needed him?” Loki reminded him sharply.

Bruce had been trying to believe they might just let him go, if he could prove he was in control. If he could earn enough gratitude for helping them. Enough respect for his scientific abilities. But he hadn’t really thought they would. He’d resigned himself to the probability of ending up in a cell, like Blonsky. But a cell designed to be a death trap? Meant to drop him from the sky? 

“Doctor,” Fury said warningly, “Now is not a good time to get angry.”

“That’s.. my.. secret,” Bruce rasped, as Loki allowed him a quick breath, then resumed his stranglehold. Adrenaline fired along his nerves, screaming of fight or flight, and triggering the means to do so. “I’m always angry.”

Cloth ripped as muscles expanded, and the Hulk easily pulled the chain away from his throat and snapped it. 

 

~~~~~~

 

People were yelling. Hulk not like yelling. Not like one-eyed man with big gun. One-eyed man make puny Banner scared, more scared than crazy blue not-a-girl god now pressed against Hulk’s back did with choking. Hulk not happy about choking either, but gun bigger threat now. Hulk smash gun first, then deal crazy god.

One eyed man try make Hulk scared with big gun, but Hulk not scared, just angry. Man yell. White coat people run away. Hulk let white coat people run away and grab gun.

One-eyed man shoot Hulk. Gun roar fire. Big fire. Hurt Hulk! Make Hulk fall back into crazy blue god. Make fire everywhere. Make smoke everywhere. Make Hulk blind! Hulk roar!

Crazy god wrap arms around Hulk neck. Not choke Hulk, just hold on. Hulk let, because blue god scared, like puny Banner scared, but not scared of Hulk. Hulk protect blue god, like Hulk protect Betty.

Smash wall! Smash out plane, away from fire. More yelling. Now soldiers shooting at Hulk. Bullets hurt. Hulk yell at stupid soldiers. Throw piece of plane at soldiers to make stop. They not stop. Stupid. Hulk need decide what throw next. Truck maybe.

“Get us out of here!” Blue god yell in Hulk ear, and now kicking Hulk in back. 

“Not kick Hulk!” Hulk growled, because blue god strong, though not strong as Hulk. Kick still hurt.

Kicking stop. “Please, we need to get away!” Blue god yell, then point at where sky hole is. “That way!”

Hulk make big jump that way, leave stupid soldiers yelling and shooting. Leave lying one-eyed man. Hulk jump again, now far away from shooting soldiers and one-eyed man. Then Hulk stop, take crazy god off back and put down.

“We need to keep going!” Blue god say. “We need to get over there so I can fix this.”

“Blue god make trouble. Hurt puny Banner.” Hulk not like people hurt Banner, but Hulk knew god scared. “Not do again.”

Blue god look up at Hulk like Hulk one crazy. “I had to get your help to escape. Don’t you understand? And we don’t have time to argue about it now. We need to get over there so I can get Thor to open these cuffs and let me close the portal.”

“Not do again. Hulk no like blue god use Hulk! Banner not like either.”

“I apologize,” Blue god say. “To both of you. Now can we go do something about that!” God point at sky hole.

Hulk notice blue god not promise. Sneaky god. But sky hole need fixing. Puny Banner’s friends needing help too. Soldiers maybe following. Not good time argue with crazy, stubborn god.

Hulk pick up god. God yell and hang on tight when Hulk jump again. Hulk like when blue god hang on. When god was horny, Hulk had made better. Blue god had liked Hulk sex, even if stupid Banner not think so. Stupid Banner not ever have sex. Not let people touch, even if stupid Banner want to. Hulk want to, too. Nobody touch Hulk except to hurt since Betty. Hulk like touching to not hurt. 

Two more jump, and on roof of place Banner not like, under sky hole. Soldiers on ground, fighting ugly space things. People fight in sky. Hulk have to smash flying ugly things on way down. Hulk let blue god slide to ground. Hulk better able to fight ugly things with god not hanging on. 

Crazy god look around at people and space things fighting, roof with big holes, find space gun. Shoot at space things. Space things blow up. Crazy blue god not so scared now.

Blue god yelling at sky. Yelling for brother. Hulk crush more space things. Wait see what happen.


	28. Chapter 28

Like most people, Phil Coulson didn’t enjoy being put on hold. He liked it even less when the building he was in was under attack by aliens, and also at risk from the Abomination, who might be fighting said aliens, but who cared nothing at all for any collateral damage or possible bystanders in his way. At least there was no canned muzak to put up with. Muzak on top of screaming alarms, howling aliens trying to get in, and muffled explosions and bursts of energy weapons would probably have caused Phil’s last nerve to snap.

He could understand that Director Fury, who was usually an exceedingly decisive man, might want to consult Fitz-Simmons and Doctor Banner first. As much as he wanted to get Selvig and the rest of his people to at least relative safety, there might be a good argument to be made for keeping Selvig on site and allowing Banner and Fitz-Simmons to try and help over a video link, or something like that.

As their wait stretched into five minutes, then ten, Phil started to get worried. Fury could be a tight-lipped bastard when it came to sharing information, but it wasn’t like him to keep agents waiting when they were under fire. Natasha and Barton knew it too, and both looked antsy, though only someone who knew them as well as Phil did would have been able to tell.

The titanium-alloy door to the main monitoring station gave way with a crash, and four Chitauri poured through. Phil pushed Selvig out of sight behind a bank of dead screens, drew his gun and fired, taking one neatly through a glaring eye, while Captain America bashed mightily with his shield and Natasha took out two with a throwing knife. The same throwing knife, Phil’s rattled brain insisted, though it couldn’t have been. Taking Phil’s advice about conserving his arrows, Clint caught up the weapon of the one Phil shot, and drove the evil bayonet-like point into its neck. Dark maroon blood spurted, and the alien thrashed, gargled weakly, and dropped into a heap with the others, just inside the remains of the door.

If they were staying here, they needed a plan and a more secure location, so he needed Fury’s answer now. But when he tried to get his boss, there was no reply.

He tapped the little earpiece quizzically, trying again to reestablish contact with Fury. It was Clint’s, since all the Cube’s comms had been set to an encoded frequency. Nothing. Just the faint hiss of an open in his ear.

“Agent Romanov, see if you can make contact,” Phil requested, as Steve Rogers went out into the hallway to check for any further unwelcome visitors incoming.

She tapped her comm, with no better result, then tapped into the open channel and tried Thor and Stark.

Tony answered immediately. “What’s up, Arachnia? You and Legolas find Steve yet?”

“We did, yes. We’ve also recovered Coulson and Doctor Selvig, but we’ve lost contact with Director Fury. Can you reach them? Are you in a position to do a visual check on them?”

Before Stark could reply, Thor came on. “Do you believe they have come under attack? We have had no word from Fury, nor has my brother called for my aid, which he surely would, if they were in danger.”

“I’m nearly thirty miles out in the opposite direction. The Chitauri keep spreading out, looking for something to attack, and it’s a bitch chasing after them.” Tony told them. “Fury isn’t answering me either. Just a second and let me see what Jarvis can come up with.”

Seconds ticked by. Out in the hall, Steve Rogers dispatched two more aliens. “I think they may have called for backup,” he yelled. “It sounds like more on the way!”

“Okay, got him!” Stark chortled. “Fury, buddy. We were starting to get worried about you!”

Fury’s voice crackled with suppressed anger as he came on the line. “We had a problem here.”

“Were you attacked?” Coulson asked.

“Not by the aliens, no,” Fury bit out. “But Loki provoked Banner into transforming, and they both took off together, heading your way.”

“Wait, together how?” Phil asked, not understanding. “Are you saying that Loki is controlling the Hulk somehow?” He hadn’t been able to use the scepter on the Abomination; he had rather assumed that the Hulk would be immune as well.

“I don’t know. I only know that Loki is headed for the Tesseract, and you need to stop him.”

Across the room, Selvig had popped up from his hiding place and was listening. “Loki is coming here?” he cried, dismayed.

“You believe my brother has lapsed again into madness?” Thor asked, plaintively. “I will come at once.”

“There’s a little flyspeck town out here in the way of the Chitari,” Stark said. “I need to finish up with these guys before I head back.”

“If Loki is after the Tesseract, we need to get up to the roof,” Steve said, stepping back into the monitor room. “Doctor Selvig, maybe we can hide you somewhere safe, or Agent Coulson could take you out. Maybe through those evac tunnels he mentioned.”

“Not yet,” Fury countered. “We’ve lost Banner for now, so Doctor Selvig is our best chance of figuring out a way of shutting that thing down. If he thinks he can?”

Coulson relayed the question to Selvig, who had no earpiece.

The astrophysicist ran both hands through his already disheveled gray hair, then squared his shoulders stubbornly. “I haven’t the foggiest idea how without the scepter, but there’s no way I’m giving up now.”

Now the sound of approaching alien soldiers was loud enough for them all to make out. 

“Time to go,” Romanov also took up one of the fallen Chitauri’s energy rifles, figured out the firing controls as best she could, and gestured for the Captain to take the lead. She went next, then Clint.

Phil kept close to Selvig’s side, prepared to get between him and any possible threat from either the front or the rear, and they all began fighting their way back up towards the roof.

 

~~~~~~

 

Thor was nowhere in sight, and well beyond the sound of his calling. Without magic, Loki was at a loss as to how to summon his dunderhead of a so-called brother. Every minute, the air seemed to be growing thicker with ever-larger numbers of Chitauri fighters and their monstrous flying beasts.

The Hulk had stayed by his side for a time, grabbing at any flyers that strayed too close. They quickly learned too keep their distance, firing at him and Loki from higher altitudes. Loki picked them off as best he could with his scavenged weapon, but the Hulk, bellowing in anger, had leaped high into the air, proving the flyers were not as invulnerable as they had thought, but his landing had nearly caved half of the already damaged roof in. 

Loki had yelled at him for it, and insisted that he was perfectly capable of defending himself. Which he was, so long as he had the weapon, and didn’t attract too much attention. “You are attracting them,” he informed the Hulk reasonably. “I should actually be safer if they are chasing after you. Somewhere less fragile.”

The creature had reluctantly gone off to fight a bit further afield, chasing after one of the heavily armored Leviathans, leaving Loki to carefully pick his way over to where the Tesseract spun in Selvig’s device, sending a beam of energy up to bring down their destruction. Once he was there, however, there was nothing to do but stare at the blasted thing in frustration, and continue looking up to shoot down the nearest flyers and keep a lookout for Thor.

The portal had widened until it seemed to take up nearly half the sky overhead. Backlit by the eerie light of vaporous nebulae, something huge-a ship? was slowly descending.

 

~~~~~~

 

Nick Fury was watching the immense ship headed for their side of the portal, and considering the possibility of taking the two remaining quinjets up to get a better look, maybe fire off a few rounds, when an agent let him know that the World Security Council was calling back, demanding a report. He didn’t think they were going to like it, and he didn’t trust how they were likely to respond.

It turned out that the Council already possessed a fairly good idea of what was happening, which didn’t surprise Nick, but he he didn’t appreciate them planting their own spies in his organization, then wasting his time asking for his report when they already knew what was going on.

And he really didn’t like them pretending to ask for his expertise on military matters when it turned out that they had already made up their minds to send a nuke.

“Director Fury, the Council has made its decision,” one of the members informed him, as if that was the end of the argument.

Nick didn’t know just who they thought they were talking to, but he wasn’t the kind of guy who jumped when the Council said ‘frog’. Bunch of lousy bureaucrats. Not one of them had any combat experience, but all of them thought they knew better than him how to handle an alien invasion. 

“I recognize that the Council has made a decision, but seeing as how it’s a stupid-ass decision, I have elected to ignore it,” he told them, knowing full well even as he said it, it was a pointless gesture. He might have been able to control the missiles on the Heliocarrier, if he were there, but even that was questionable, if the Council was planting their own agents. When this mess was over, Nick intended to look into putting some safeguards in place.

“We don’t know that even a nuclear strike will shut down the Tesseract,” Fury tried to tell them. “And we don’t know how many might be still waiting to come through. If we strike here and it doesn’t close the portal, it will destroy our ability to keep them bottlenecked here, or keep trying to close the portal by other means. Doctor Selvig believes the scepter will work, and we have teams scrambling to search. We have reinforcements on the way. Give my team a chance to work, Councilman.”

“If we don’t hold them here, we lose everything,” another member urged, leaning into the camera. 

“You send that bird out, you could guarantee it.”

“That’s a chance we are willing to take,” Councilwoman Agutter said, with cool finality. “Get your people out now, Director Fury.”

“We don’t have the time or the resources to coordinate an evacuation, and leaving will allow more of the enemy to spread out and attack civilian areas,” Nick pleaded.

“The U.S. president has given us authorization, and SAC is diverting a B-1 Lancer inbound to Offut Airforce Base. You have just over ten minutes.” Determined to have the last word, she hung up on him, and her image blipped out.

Her fellow Council members all rapidly followed her example, some shamefaced at least. There was no way to get all the SHIELD personnel and prisoners out in time, and no way to even try to evacuate Banner and Blonsky.

Not to mention whatever Loki was up to. Nick ground his teeth, then started snapping out the orders that might save as many lives as possible from this clusterfuck.

 

~~~~~~

 

Tony had just taken out another flyer, and was dragging a very boggled and upset attendant out of the smoldering remains of his gas station, when Fury’s voice crackled loudly in his ear. “Stark, do you hear me? We’ve got a missile headed straight for the Cube.” 

From Fury’s tone of near-panic, Tony assumed it must be a really big one. “How long?”

“Ten minutes, max,” Fury replied. “The payload will wipe out this facility and everything within a square mile around it.” 

“How many people are still in there?” Tony demanded, outraged. Rogers had been in there, last he heard, and Coulson, Barton and Romanov. Not to mention Bruce and Loki, who were in the wind somewhere nearby. Because ten minutes was not going to be enough time to get them out.

“We’re working on it,” Fury replied, grimly, then signed off.

“Jarvis, put everything we’ve got left into the thrusters,” Tony said. He had an idea. It was probably one of his worst ideas ever, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him.

“I already have,” the A.I. said.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks to the lovely tilla123 for all her invaluable help in catching errors, and motivating me!
> 
> Thanks also to everyone who left kudos and comments. I really appreciate knowing people are reading.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~~~~

“Who is that?” Selvig asked Phil’s small team, when they crept cautiously out onto the broken, falling in roof to find a tall, lanky, blue-skinned woman in black SHIELD fatigues standing near the Tesseract device.

Phil thought at first that she was Mystique, but a second look said this person was much taller, and not so curvaceous. Mystique could assume nearly any disguise, but why would she choose to look like a different blue-skinned woman?

“That’s Loki,” Steve Rogers supplied helpfully. “He’s- He looks like a woman, but he says he’s not.” He stumbled to a halt in the face of Phil and Selvig’s uncomprehending stares. “It’s complicated.”

“Later,” Phil said. “We need to stop him from stealing the Tesseract again.”

If that was what Loki was planning. From what Phil could see, the alien who had supposedly led this invading army here had become their foe, and was shooting them down with one of their own weapons whenever they came anywhere near him. And periodically yelling for Thor, which was another mystery that was going to have to wait.

“Split up,” he directed the Captain, Romanov and Barton. “I’ll try to get his attention on me.”

 

~~~~~~

 

When the innocuous-looking mortal came out onto the roof and started towards him, making no effort at concealing himself and seemingly unarmed, Loki was undecided on whether to be admire the man’s courage or question his mental state.

The man, one of Fury’s minions, by the look of him, stopped a few paces away and smiled amiably, as if they were two strangers chance met in a tavern, or along a pleasant garden path.

“Mind if I join you?” the mortal inquired, indicating a nearby Chitauri corpse, or perhaps the weapon still in its grasp. “Loki, right? I’m Agent Coulson.”

Startled to recognize the name, Loki peered at the man more closely, and was relieved but unsure how to decipher his clear, uncorrupted eyes. “I see Barton found you.”

A burst of energy from above struck the roof between them, blasting a new crater and driving Loki back. He returned fired twice, and struck the offending flyer. It fled, falling, trailing acrid smoke.

When Loki looked back at Coulson, the mortal had armed himself with the Chitauri weapon, and held it ready, not quite pointed at himself. He still wore the same good-natured expression.

“Are you planning on aiding me, or threatening me, Agent Coulson?”

“I just want to talk,” the man replied. “I’ll let other people do the threatening.”

Loki caught the infinitesimal shift of the man’s gaze to something behind him, but before he could begin to turn, something sharp pricked him painfully in the back. He froze, and saw movement to either side. The solider, Rogers, approached from his left. To his right, Barton stood, his bow drawn and aimed at him.

Feeling a bead of blood trickling wetly down his back, Loki surmised who stood behind him. “Agent Romanov, once again you have taken me unawares. I’m impressed.”

Rogers plucked the gun from Loki’s grasp and turned it towards him, fumbling alarmingly with the unfamiliar controls.

Loki snapped, “Would you mind not pointing that at me if you don’t know what makes it go off?”

Rogers blushed, lowering the barrel towards the ground. “Sorry.”

“It’s this lever,” Coulson instructed, correctly.

The Captain placed his hand over the trigger and tried a few test shots on the Chitauri who continued buzzing by overhead, getting the hang of it rapidly.

“So Loki,” Coulson started, but was interrupted by Erik Selvig lurching over.

Loki winced inwardly at the sight of the man. Selvig had seemed a kind man, dedicated to seeking knowledge. It had been a cruel chance that had placed him in Loki’s way, but he had to admit to some malice in using the scepter on the man. The man was a scholar, something Thor had scorned all throughout his youth, but somehow he had become Thor’s friend in a matter of days, and had greeted Loki as a threat instantly when he’d emerged from Thanos’ realm.

“It really is you,” Selvig exclaimed, looking Loki up and down with wonder that did not in any way diminish his seething anger. “You should be thankful that I was raised never to hit a woman.”

“Despite this body, I am not a woman!” Loki denied, hotly.

“No?” Erik blinked hard, his bleary eyes managing a surprisingly menacing stare.

Coulson said, “If we could get back to the subject of-“

Selvig’s punch more surprised than hurt Loki, but his instinct to try and step away from the blow was a mistake. Romanov was not quite as fast, and the knife she was using to threaten him drove an inch deep into the muscle of his back.

“Aaargh!” Loki screamed, centuries of training taking over as he whirled a kick at the woman.

She moved with the strike, then caught his ankle and twisted, throwing off his balance. Someone- Rogers by the blue sleeve, wrapped an arm around his neck and grabbed his right arm, trying for a hold.

Then Thor, apparently seeing Loki being attacked, hurtled down to defend him, yelling a wordless battle cry. Unfortunately, he landed with nearly as much force as a falling Hulk, and the strained roof gave way beneath them.

When his wits started working again, Loki was at the bottom of a pile of rubble and groaning bodies. What a familiar position. Thor must be to blame for this. Yes, there he was, glowing golden as usual, pulling people off of his ‘little brother’.

He hoisted Loki up effortlessly, and pawed ineffectually at the liberal coating of dust now coating Loki’s clothes and hair. “Are you well, brother?”

Loki batted his hands away. “I was better before you broke the floor out from beneath me, you ass! Where have you been?”

Thor’s face scrunched up. “I have been fighting-“

“Yes, of course you were. Never mind.” Loki thrust his hands at Thor. “Get these off of me. Now.”

Thor just stared at him, then stammered, “Brother, it would be unwise.”

“Whoever said I was wise?” Loki shot back. The words echoed strangely in his mind, and he suddenly remembered saying them to Thor before, after his brother’s ruined coronation. Just before his world had come crashing down around him.

By his expression, Thor remembered as well. A smile tugged at his lips. “As you say, brother. I will endeavor to be wise for both of us.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Don’t strain yourself.”

“I hate to interrupt this brotherly bonding,” Coulson said, stepping in and dusting uselessly at his no longer black suit. “But the world is at risk of being either overrun or sucked into a black hole, and can we could get back to trying to stop that?” His voice rose to a near shout at the end.

Barton appeared above them, peering down from the edge of the broken roof and lowering a line. “Everybody okay?” Everybody was.

“Grab on and I’ll pull you up,” Barton offered.

“That will not be necessary,” Thor said, using Mjölnir to fly up, and come down more cautiously this time. “Loki, toss them up to me.”

 _Thor, you idiot._ Loki sighed and looked around for a volunteer. Unsurprisingly, no one rushed forward to put themselves in his hands.

Romanov broke the stalemate, moving to stand in front of him. Her expression was expectant, but Loki had no idea if she expected cooperation or treachery. Barton tensed, though, and Rogers shifted closer.

Smirking, Loki bent and laced his hands into a stirrup. “What devoted defenders you have.”

“Yours is pretty dedicated too,” she pointed out, stepping up. She stiffened her legs, obviously familiar with this technique.

True, he thought, as he launched her up. But Thor would not be able to defend him against Thanos. Or Odin.

Coulson went next, but Steve Rogers was the one to heave Doctor Selvig. He went after, and Loki jumped. Thor caught him and pulled him to stable ground.

Far above, the Chitauri ship loomed, its bulk still just a bit too large to come through the portal, though it had expanded to what looked to be miles.

“We do not have time to argue, Thor,” Loki put out his hands again. “Off. Now.”

Frustratingly, Thor made no move to comply. “What do you intend to do, brother?”

“I believe I can shut down the portal.” The dangling remains of broken chains jingled as Loki shook his wrists, emphasizing his demand. “I just need to drain off enough of the power to break through the barrier and remove the Tesseract.”

“Brother,” Thor frowned worriedly, “Is that not dangerous? The Tesseract is one of the Infinity gems. Trying to channel that much power could kill you.”

“In that case, let him try,” Barton muttered. Loki pretended he hadn’t heard.

“Wait,” Selvig shook his head, “Why do you want the portal closed? Opening it was your idea in the first place!”

“My brother was not himself,” Thor attempted to explain. “Thanos is the true enemy.”

“I have no idea what is going on here,” Coulson sighed, “But we really are short on time and ideas.” He looked to Barton and Romanov.

Barton shrugged, refusing to state an opinion. Romanov bit her lip, then said, “Maybe he’s lying, but I don’t see how he could make things any worse at this point.”

Loki decided to count that as a win. He jangled his chains at Thor again.

“Loki,” Thor’s voice was low and unhappy, “I mourned you once. I do not wish to do so again.”

“Thor, if we do not close the portal, we are both likely to die when this world does, and if by some miracle we should escape and return to Asgard, do you think your father would have any choice except to execute me for destroying Midgard?”

“He would not do that, Loki,” Thor implored. “You are his son as much as I.”

“Then he would condemn me to eternity in the dungeons!” Loki hissed. “He would have no choice, Thor! I would rather die than that!”

Reluctantly, Thor closed a hand on Loki’s right cuff.

“Wait, wait!” Selvig squawked, looking suddenly much more animated. “What do those do? How do they work?”

Loki and Thor both turned to look at the scientist.

“They keep my brother from using magic,” Thor said.

But Loki realized what Selvig meant. “They disrupt and absorb certain spectrums of energy.”

He looked at the doctor with renewed respect. “That had not even occurred to me, but it could work.”

“All right,” Coulson nodded. “Let’s try it.”

The portal generator sat, pristine, on a peninsula of undamaged roof and required some tricky maneuvering to get to, and was not wide enough to accommodate their entire group. Erik went first, picking up his toppled equipment and setting it back in order so he could monitor the energy output.

Then Loki went and cleared away enough debris to kneel where Erik indicated. The barrier was thinnest at the base, and that was where he had built his emergency cut-off switch. They would try that first, and if that failed, try to remove the Tesseract itself.

Noticing their activity and perhaps divining their intent, a large number of Chitauri fighters swerved in their direction, accompanied by a newly arrived Leviathan.

Everyone except Loki and Thor now carried one of the alien weapons, and they scattered for cover and firing positions. Thor remained by Loki’s side, very much in the way and without room to fight.

Loki swatted at him. “Stop hovering, Thor! Go up and keep them off of us!”

His brother hesitated, looking anxious. “Please be careful.”

“I am not the one always taking foolish risks in battle,” Loki reminded him. “You be careful. I’m not going back to Asgard if you get killed.”

“And I promised Mother not to return without you,” Thor reminded him with a grin, taking off and leaving a trail of falling enemies in his wake.

“Ready!” yelled Selvig.

Barton and Romanov were fighting a Chitauri who had leaped from a downed flyer, tackling him to the ground. He ducked a blow that would have crushed his skull and she slotted Loki’s knife into the neck joint of the armor, driving it into its brain just as Rogers shot it in the chest. It toppled to one side, very dead.

“Hurry it up!” Coulson called. “Fury just called, and we have about eight minutes.”

“Before what?” Rogers asked.

“Let me worry about that,” Coulson replied, taking out his borrowed comm unit and replacing it with a different one from his pocket.

Over a dozen more fighters leaped down from the swooping Leviathan, and Steve had to focus on fighting them off.

Loki, remembering what Fitz and Simmons had been telling him about ‘nuclear strikes’, took a deep breath and pushed his palms against the barrier.

A feeling like being stung by hundreds of tiny scorpions raced up both his arms, spreading into his whole body. The runes of his cuffs started to glow, first gold, then blue-white, as their spells encountered greater power than that of any single mage. The magic disrupting alloy, its properties known only to the most skilled of the dwarf smiths, began to burn his wrists.

The pain was bad, but Loki had become very familiar with how to endure suffering. He shoved harder against the resistance, and his hands slowly passed through.

“I can close it,” he called to whoever might be listening. The feeling of triumph almost wiped out the overwhelming agony.

“Hang on,” Coulson called. “Just a minute! We need it open just a few minutes more.”

Why could they not have said so before he began? Tears were leaking down Loki’s face, but he didn’t dare pull his hands back to try a second time. The cuffs were never meant to contain such power, and if they failed…

“Whatever you are doing, do it quickly!”

~~~~~~

 

Tony’s brain wasted about half a minute running furious scenarios of somehow disarming a nuclear missile mid-flight before he wrenched it back to reality. There was no time for that. Jarvis was tracking the cruise missile’s speed and trajectory, and even pouring everything into the suit’s thrusters, he wasn’t going to catch it.

“You’ve got to give me more speed, Jarvis,” he pleaded. “Cut everything, just get me there in time.”

“Sir, the missile seems to be changing direction.”

Well, it was a guided missile, but it had been taking the most direct course to the Cube. Tony dared to hope this was a good development. Maybe Fury had managed to get control of it, or talked his idiot bosses into changing their minds.

“Which way?”

“It is on a sharply rising trajectory, headed into the portal, sir,” Jarvis answered.

“Oh thank god,” Tony sighed. “Fury had me worried they were going to detonate that sucker on our side of the wormhole.”

“That was my conclusion as well, based on its original flight path,” the AI replied.

“Well, just in case, I think I’ll fly up and make sure it doesn’t turn around again.”

“That would seem unadvisable, sir.”

“Don’t be such a mother hen, Jarvis.”

As he flew upwards, the tiny flame of the missile’s rocket became visible as it streaked towards the descending ship. Off to one side, Tony’s scanners detected a smaller blip, hovering in place. He changed course and headed over until he made out the orange jumpsuit.

Tony could not be sure, but it looked like Magneto was directing the missile. He whistled softly, checking their altitude. “Son of a bitch. Twenty-nine thousand feet without a suit.” How was the mutant surviving the freezing temperatures and thin air?

He’d taken his eyes off the missile and missed the moment of impact, but now the sky lit up with a massive explosion.

“A direct hit, sir,” Jarvis said, as he tried to make out the ship through the blossoming fires. “I am picking up substantial damage to the vessel.”

“Awesome.” Tony grinned to himself, and gave Magneto a thumbs up.

Instead of waving back, the super villain went limp and began falling like a stone.

Tony hurried to intercept.

 

~~~~~~

 

“Close it!” Coulson’s voice was a scream, and Loki still only barely heard him. He looked over at Selvig, who nodded and added his own yell to ‘shut it down’.

The cutoff switch Selvig had pointed out gave at a touch, and the barrier fizzled out. The beam of light sank down on itself and vanished, and Loki slumped, his nerves still afire with remembered trauma, and the voice of the Tesseract drowning out everything else. He had forgotten how beautiful it was.

Without thinking, he wrapped both hands around the gleaming cube and tugged it free of its housing. Untrammeled, its energy coursed into him, renewing his flagging spirit, pouring out promises of knowledge and power beyond his wildest dreams. Loki had never felt so much like a god.

 

~~~~~~

 

As the ship above Thor turned to a ball of fire, all the Chitauri fighters ceased fighting, falling limp over or off their flyers, which spun spiraling down to crash far below. That was good.

The Leviathan which had also been circling about them also gave an ear-splitting wail and began to fall, which was bad, because it was going to land directly on top of the roof where Loki and the others were.

Thor flew up, but knew with absolute certainty that he would not be able to stop it. “‘Ware above!” he yelled, hoping against hope that Loki and the mortals below would see and manage to escape in time.

 

~~~~~~

 

Tony saw the space whale falling, and Thor rushing to try and stop it. He was close enough to try to help, but there was nothing he could do without letting Magneto fall to his death. The man was a known threat to all humanity, and it was his life vs half a dozen, some of whom were his friends, or at least people he liked. The mutant was unconscious; he wouldn’t suffer any fear, and the fall would kill him instantly, but Tony’s fingers refused to open, and he had used up all his ammo, so he couldn’t even try to blow the thing into smaller pieces.

 

~~~~~~

 

“Everybody move!” Coulson barked, grabbing Selvig’s elbow to speed him along on a pell-mell scramble to get from underneath the falling creature. Steve Rogers captured his other arm and between them they all but lifted the scientist off the ground as they ran towards the dubious cover of a still standing guard tower. With luck, they could get down the stairs and hope what was left of the roof held.

Natasha had a similar idea, dropping through one of the gaps and vanishing.

Clint didn’t know what kept him rooted in place, except that Loki made no move to escape either. He had a clear view of the god, and what he saw terrified him. Loki’s face was blank, and his eyes shifted colors, swiftly cycling between red, green and Tesseract blue. His black hair floated and crackled, and blood ran in a thin trickle from both eyes. He looked very much like a deity. One of the Hindu ones, maybe. He just needed the necklace of human skulls.

He drew one of his last two arrows and took aim. It was probably a futile gesture, but he felt comforted by the feel of the bow’s tension, and his knowledge of the arrow’s flight.

Then Loki let his head tilt back to look up at their onrushing doom, and screamed, “Thor, move!”

 

~~~~~~

 

Thor, who had been straining with all his might to slow the Leviathan’s fall, reacted to Loki’s command without a second thought, accustomed to trusting his brother by centuries of shared battles and hunts. He had no more gotten from under it when it vaporized into nothing, leaving only fading wisps of blue energy.

He looked down to see Loki holding the Tesseract, and his relief and joy turned to worry. He had never made a study of magic or magical relics, but he knew it was deathly dangerous to try and hold an infinity gem.

Dropping down with care, he moved hurriedly towards his brother, but a new barrier held him back, preventing his approach. “Loki!” he yelled, unsure if his brother could hear, or would listen. “Loki! You must put it down! It is too dangerous! Loki, please!”

 

~~~~~~

 

Clint was not terribly good at reading people, like Natasha was, but he was very familiar with criminals, and the way they thought, and he recognized that blend of guilt, hope and terror on Loki’s face. It was the expression of a fugitive seeing a risky way out of being caught. It was an expression he knew from experience, though he’d never had a mirror handy when he’d been feeling that way.

He saw Thor crash into an invisible wall, and heard him pleading with his brother to stop, to put the Tesseract down. To not run. Loki did not appear to be listening, but by the subtle flinches in his face, Clint could tell that he heard.

Slowly, he lowered his arrow, letting the bow go slack, then dropping it altogether at his feet. It wasn’t the tool for this job. Words were all that would get through that barrier; Clint was lousy at words, but Natasha had said she thought Loki might listen to him.

He added his voice to Thor’s. “Loki! Hey! Listen up!”

Loki’s eyes, still changing color in that unnerving way, flicked in his direction.

“Listen up, you asshole!” Clint didn’t know if insulting the god was a good idea, but it did fix his attention. “You forced me to help you make this mess, and I am still fucking pissed at you, but if you put that thing down right now, I will do whatever I can to help you with whatever it is you’re afraid to face!”

“As will I, brother!” Thor called, “You need not fear!”

“I am not afraid!” Loki blatantly lied, trying to mask himself in a haughty expression. “But there is vengeance to consider.” 

“Then I will help you with that,” Clint promised. “Just put the cube down.”

 

~~~~~~

 

Loki wavered, torn. The Tesseract promised freedom, and power beyond his imagining. He could return to Thanos and destroy him for his attempt to use a prince of Asgard. He could crush the Other and all his ilk, make them suffer as they had him. More, even. He could find a place to rule, or even create one. A realm that would outshine even Asgard’s glory.

Thor’s voice, small and distant, only promised more pain. Return to Asgard in shame, to be displayed in this hated body, despised by all who did not pity him. And then what? Tried by Odin for his crimes? Executed, despite Thor’s reassurances? Locked up? ‘Treated’ for his so-called illness? Banished to the icy world of his birth, that he had tried to destroy?

But he remembered his brief reign as King, though he did not entirely trust his memories. He knew he had been wild, out of control. Had he truly been ill, and not merely righteously infuriated by Odin’s deception, and the betrayal and distrust of Sif and the Warriors Three? Thanos had twisted his memories of that time, but Loki retained vivid fragments. Odin lying sprawled on the steps of the weapons vault. Thor in chains. Frigga’s eyes wide and glassy with horror at the sight of Laufey in Odin’s bedchamber, raising a dagger. Asgard in flames. No. No! That had not happened. But what if he went mad again, with the power of the Tesseract at his command?

Barton’s voice, now, acid with anger, calling him a coward, weak. As did Thor, as usual. _I’m not. I will prove it. Kill Thanos, wipe out the Chitauri, command the universe to kneel. Not weak, not any longer._

Barton’s confident vow to assist him in his revenge broke through Loki’s morass of misgivings and schemes with its sheer absurdity. What help could a mere mortal archer be against the Mad Titan?

He probably could at that, with the proper tools and knowledge, but would he, or was it only a trick to make him give up his power? Barton hated him, why wouldn’t he betray him?

What if he wasn’t lying, though? How Loki had longed to win him as a true ally. Or friend. Or lover.

And Thor. Stupid, oafish, arrogant Thor, who loved him and who he missed by his side, even if he cast Loki into the shadows with his light.

I could take the Tesseract and kill Thanos, then go home, Loki argued to himself. Could he? _They would never trust me with so much power._ No one was meant to have it. That was why all the gems had been scattered and hidden. _I could give it up, after I finish the Titan, and the Chitauri._

 _Will you?_ a part of him jeered. _How much will be left of Loki by then?_

Choices. Such difficult choices.

Run, alone with the Tesseract. Wield its power, wreak his bloody vengeance, and perhaps be consumed again by madness, becoming a danger so great that Odin and Thor and every power in all the realms would seek to hunt him down.

Or stay, as a prisoner. Trust. Go home and face those who he had harmed, who had harmed him. See what happens. See Mother again.

Loki hurled the Tesseract away and curled in on himself. The world went dim and cold as its power and voice left him.

Warm, strong arms embraced him, lifting him up. Thor’s breastplate was a poor pillow, but Loki had no strength left to resist.

“That was very brave of you, Loki,” Thor told him, brushing back his hair and attempting to wipe the blood tears from his face. “Father will be proud of you.”

Weakly, Loki snorted. “I did not do it for him.”


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Work has been busy! 
> 
> As always, huge thanks to tilla123 for all her invaluable help in getting this right!

The arrival of military air support that he’d requested from the World Security Council would have cheered Nick Fury up tremendously if they had arrived before the portal had closed, and if they had not been commanded by General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross.

Even so, the situation might have been salvageable if the Council had made it clear that this was a SHIELD operation, not a Hulkbuster mission, and that Fury was in charge. The Council’s decisions were really starting to piss Nick off today.

“What do you want us to do, sir?” asked the pilot of his one remaining quintet. He had been the one to alert Fury to this incoming disaster.

It was very tempting to order Ross shot out of the sky, but it would have only caused more trouble later on. Also, the quinjet, besides being outnumbered a squadron to one, had used up all its ammo and nearly all its fuel fighting the Chitauri.

“See if you can get a location on the Hulk or Blonsky, but don’t push your safety margin to do it. You’re our ride home,” Fury told him.

“Yes, sir,” the pilot signed off.

Nick opened a channel to the Avengers to deliver the bad news.

 

~~~~~~

 

“If he thinks he’s taking Bruce, he can think again,” Tony declared, coming down to land carefully on the reasonably solid corner of the Cube’s roof where Thor, Loki, Clint, Natasha, Steve, Coulson and Selvig had regrouped.

“I do not understand,” Thor said, puzzled. “Is this Ross not an ally?”

“It’s complicated,” Coulson told him, moving forward to help Tony ease the still limp form of Magneto to the ground. “The Hulk was classified as a threat, and Ross’ team was put in charge of neutralizing him, before SHIELD determined that attempts to capture Banner were causing more incidents than when he was left alone and started running interference, but the Air Force doesn’t answer to us. Different chain of command.”

“Better off…central authority,” Loki mumbled, still pressed up against his brother and looking like he’d been chewed up and spat out.

Ordinarily, Tony would have bantered a bit about the disadvantages of kings, especially crazy ones, but he decided to save it till Loki was up to bantering back.

“But Banner fought most valiantly with us today to defend your world,” Thor said. “And will he not soon return to his scholar’s form, once his anger abates?”

“Not if he sees Ross coming,” Barton answered.

Romanov nodded. “The Hulk sees Ross as an enemy, and Banner won’t change back if he feels threatened.”

“Based on past encounters, either Ross will find Bruce when he’s helpless and take him into custody, or the Hulk will do a lot of damage and then escape, and Banner will go as far underground as he can manage,” Tony said, agitated at the thought of either possibility. “We need to find him before they do.”

“I’ll take the sky cycle,” Barton offered. “We left it in a gatehouse outside the wall.

“Thor?” Tony queried, firing up his boot thrusters.

The god of thunder looked torn. “I cannot leave my brother.”

“No, do not.” Loki clung tighter to Thor, pale, which was to say, pale blue, and looking worriedly across the gap in the roof to where Selvig had taken custody of the Tesseract, securing it in its carrying case.

“I’ll go with you,” Loki decided, banging Thor’s breastplate for emphasis, though he looked ready to fall over. “I owe the doctor for his help.”

For once, Thor did not argue, but simply wrapped an arm around his brother and spun his hammer to launch them both into the air.

“Wanna give me a lift?” Clint asked Tony.

Tony dipped lower and grabbed the back of Barton’s shirt. “Better clench up, Legolas.”

Giving the archer no chance to reply, he hit the jets, launching them up and away.

 

~~~~~~

 

“Captain,” Coulson called to Steve before he could also go in search of the Hulk, “We need to get Mr. Lehnsherr here medical attention, and have him secured before he wakes up, in case the scepter’s influence has worn off. Will you give me a hand?”

“Of course.” Steve hurried to lift the unconscious mutant.

“Natasha?” Coulson invited.

“I think I’ll stick with Doctor Selvig,” she replied. “We’ll get the Tesseract back to Fury, if we can find working transportation. If not, we’ll secure it here.”

“Good idea,” Steve approved. “It would probably be a bad idea if Magneto managed to steal it, right after we got it back.”

Natasha granted him a little smile. “Doctor, if you’ll come with me?”

“Yes, yes,” Selvig bobbed his head. “I’m ready when you are.”

She guided him away, choosing a safe, relatively smooth path in deference to his wobbling gait.

“Let’s go,” Coulson said, leading Steve back inside, heading to the infirmary.

 

~~~~~~

 

Hulk mean to stay near blue god. Protect from space things. But blue god not want him close. Hulk breaking building, and blue god not like. Besides, blue god good fighter. Defend self with space gun from little flying things. Hulk decide better fight giant flying things.

Jump up high, land on giant flying thing. Ugly space things run at Hulk. Shoot at Hulk. Make Hulk mad. Hulk grab. Hulk smash. Hulk rip up flying thing armor. Giant flying thing roar! Little space things roar too. Hulk roar louder than any! Hulk hurt giant flying thing by ripping armor off! Good! Hulk rip off more. Very ugly under armor. Black. Slimy. Squishy.

More ugly space things shooting at Hulk, try to stop from hurting flying thing. Many ugly space things. Hulk smash them, smash them, smash them. Then blue god’s brother there, helping Hulk smash ugly space things till all gone. No more shooting.

Now Hulk able go back to smashing giant flying thing. Hulk rip off more armor, drive piece armor in soft squishy part. Flying thing try shake Hulk and hammer god off, but Hulk and hammer god not fall. Blue god’s brother hit armor piece with hammer. Smash! Armor go deep down in squishy part! Hulk impressed.

Giant flying thing fall out of sky with Hulk and hammer god still on. Crash into ground. Stop moving. Hulk look round. Now long way from building and blue god. More giant flying things coming from sky hole, and now far off. Hulk annoyed. Punch hammer god. Hammer god not expect, go flying. Now Hulk feel better. Go find more things to smash.

Hulk smashing third giant flying thing when Hulk see Blonsky, also smashing ugly space things. Blonsky even uglier than space things, Hulk think. But good at smashing space things. Hulk think Hulk better.

Blonsky see Hulk too. Yell at Hulk. “You! I have been wanting another chance at you!”

Throw smaller flying thing at Hulk! Decide try smash Hulk instead of ugly space things.

Hulk leap, catch small flying thing with ugly riders, throw at Blonsky. “Stupid Blonsky. Even Hulk know what smash first.”

“These? These are easy! I’ll get them after I finish you.”

Hulk growl at stupid Blonsky who not care if ugly space things hurt people. Hulk care! Hulk decide leave, go find more ugly space things. Maybe see if blue god okay. Hulk jump away.

Blonsky follow Hulk. Not let Hulk go smash more important things. Hit Hulk hard! Make Hulk very angry! Hulk decide smash Blonsky, then smash ugly space things. Or maybe smash Blonsky with ugly space things.

When sky hole close, all ugly space things and all flying things fall down, dead. This surprise Hulk, but also make glad. Now Hulk only need smash Blonsky.

~~~~~~

 

Inside the Cube, things were still chaotic. The men Fury had brought with him, along with those who had been freed from the scepter’s control were doing their best to reestablish order and hunt out any escaped prisoners or agents still under mind control.

Phil and Steve met two of the latter, frantic with a renewed need to get the portal back open. Fortunately they had not recognized that Phil was no longer driven by that compulsion before he rendered them both unconscious, using a little more force than he would have preferred due to the exigency of getting Magneto safely sedated before he came to.

And possibly he had been trying to impress the Captain, Phil blushed to realize, or blushed with pleasure when Steve Rogers seemed impressed that the two had been handled before he could even put his burden down.

They were just arriving at the infirmary when Fury contacted them to say he was on his way to meet them at the Cube.

“Fitz-Simmons thinks they can use that device of Sterns’ to safely contain the Hulk,” Fury explained.

“With all due respect, sir,” Steve broke in, “Shouldn’t we concentrate on stopping the Abomination? Banner isn’t much of a danger out here in the open, and if he’s not fired on, he’ll revert to Banner, right?”

“If we have Banner in custody, Ross can’t take him,” Fury said, sounding weary. “He can have Blonsky with my blessing, since he helped make him in the first place.”

“I’ll start a search for the device, and the remote,” Phil told his boss, “but they were on the roof, and it took a lot of damage. It might have been destroyed.”

“I saw the plans when Sterns was building it,” Leo said. “Even if it’s damaged, I should be able to put it back together.”

“Understood,” Phil replied, as he got ahead of Steve and held the infirmary door for him to carry Magneto through.

The infirmary was filled with SHIELD agents. Some injured and many laid out in beds, on cots and on improvised mats, apparently sleeping off the effects of Fitz-Simmons’ non-lethal bullets.

Two agents that Phil only knew slightly as field agents, both Level 5, were doing what they could to help the wounded. One hurriedly finished bandaging another agent and rushed up to demand information. He held up a hand to forestall her, reaching out to take the nite nite gun from the holster at her belt.

He checked the chamber to be sure, backed up a few steps, raised the gun and shot the mutant in the chest, startling Cap, who calmed when he realized there was no blood.

Phil checked that Magneto seemed to be breathing normally, heaved a small sigh of relief, and relayed a final message to Fury.

“I want Simmons to come to the infirmary as soon as she’s able. I need someone with more medical training to look at Magneto, and make sure he stays out, and we’ve got others who need help too.”

“We’ll be there in five minutes,” Fury said, signing off.

 

~~~~~~

 

By sheer dumb luck, the Hulk and his nemesis were duking it out in the opposite direction from Ross’s approach, allowing Tony, Thor and Loki to arrive there with a few minutes head start.

Stark didn’t hesitate, diving down to fire his repulsors at the spiked and armor-plated back of the Abomination, at the same time the Hulk uprooted a tree and smashed it into the creature’s face.

Somewhat to Loki’s surprise, Thor hesitated, though he supposed it would not be wise of his brother to charge into battle while carrying Loki, but lack of sense had seldom held his brother back from battle in the past.

“Put me down so you may help Stark,” Loki pointed to a small hill a little ways off from the fighting. “And be certain that Fury or someone makes my means of speaking with the rest of you function again.”

Thor aimed for the spot Loki had indicated and they were halfway there before he realized what Loki had said. “They were preventing you from speaking to us? To me?” he rumbled, ominously.

“Later, Thor,” Loki said, as they landed. It took nearly all he had to stay on his feet, but if he collapsed, Thor would stay by him, and that would not suit. “Just ask them to fix it.”

Still Thor did not leave. “I dislike leaving you without some means of defending yourself.”

“I am not planning to fight,” Loki said. “I may be able to calm Banner’s creature, if you can take out the other.”

Doggedly, Thor muttered, “I could remove the cuffs-“

Loki wavered, a fresh flood of scorn and anger flooding him that Thor would offer that now, that he would tempt him like that, after he had already resisted once. _It is trust he’s trying to show. He is concerned for my safety. Wretched sentiment!_

Swallowing back bile, Loki fought down his unfounded anger. It was not Thor’s fault that he didn’t understand. His brother believed everything would turn out well. Why would he not believe that? Nothing terrible had ever happened to Thor, after all.

Even when the All-Father had banished him for treason and starting a war, Thor had managed to make new friends, have a dalliance with a lovely mortal woman, ‘learn his lesson’ and regain his powers in a mere handful of days and come out looking more nobel and heroic than ever.

“I- No,” he forced out at last, trying to make his voice normal. “I likely could not conjure so much as a spark right now, and we do not want to have the mortals distracted by wondering if I might betray them.”

Nor you, brother, he did not say, though he thought Thor might be thinking it as well. If he allowed himself the chance, he might betray them all just for spite, because they would expect it.

“Go help Stark,” Loki snapped.

Reluctantly, Thor flew off. He soared high, then dove at high speed, slamming headlong into the Abomination in the same fashion he had killed the great frost beast on Jotunheim.

The creature flew backwards with the force of Thor’s attack, but managed to regain its feet, though it shook its crested head as if it were dazed.

Summoning lightning, Thor struck at the same time as Stark, pinning the monster between them, and the Hulk brained the creature with a boulder.

In the sky to the east, tiny aircraft appeared, coming swiftly towards them.

Loki crouched low, keeping to cover in lieu of illusions to conceal him, and started making his way towards the fight. He wasn’t sure what he hoped to accomplish; he only knew he could not simply stand around like a helpless maiden and wait for others to act.

 

~~~~~~

 

When she tracked him down to deliver the Tesseract, along with Doctor Selvig, Natasha was unsurprised to find SHIELD’s director in a very hostile mood.

“Is there anything I can do?” she asked, once the carrying case and its contents were locked up and Selvig was led off to be examined and possibly sedated.

The man had been very reluctant to be parted from the object of his research. Natasha almost expected him to start babbling about his ‘precious’ or something.

“Nothing I can think of,” Fury answered tersely. “The Council has made the asinine decision to send General Ross here, and since the aliens are defeated, he’s determined to revert to his duty to protect the free world from the Hulk. And the Abomination, probably, since he’s here, but mainly the Hulk. He’s fucking Ahab, and Banner’s his great white whale.”

Although she knew her face revealed nothing, Fury correctly interpreted Natasha’s sudden surge of chagrin that the Council cared so little about the fact that SHIELD had made promises to Banner about his freedom and safety. She had personally made promises, and she did not care to have other people break them.

Fury understood, she knew. From the stiff set of his shoulders, and the bunching muscles in his jaw, she knew he felt the same way. Loki had accused her of being a liar and a killer in the service of liars and killers, and that was true. But she was the one who made the choice now. She had escaped being a mindless weapon, and she was not about to let anyone make a liar of her, or a traitor, or a killer, against her wishes.

“Can’t you dissuade them?” she asked.

He slid a large hand along his smooth scalp and grimaced. “I am not exactly acting from a position of strength here, Agent Romanov.”

“There’s got to be something we can do,” she argued. “Some way to keep Banner out of his hands.”

“Coulson has an idea, but it’s a longshot. Something about our managing to get the Hulk contained first. He’s with Fitz, trying to get it set up.”

“And Rogers?”

“Gone to see if he can help Stark and Thor keep Ross off Banner.” Fury scowled. “He recovered most of Barton’s arrows, and found a cache of new ones in a weapons locker, so Barton is going to meet up with him and restock at the same time.”

Natasha nodded her understanding. There was nothing for her to do, but she loathed feeling so useless. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go see how Coulson’s doing.”

“Go ahead,” he nodded, then stopped her as her hand was on the door. “Agent Romanov, if Banner is taken, we will need you to help get him back.”

She nodded, feeling marginally better, and left to look for Phil.

 

~~~~~~

“So what’s this plan?” Stark asked, as he put on a burst of speed to dodge a flying spiked fist.

Between him and Thor and the Hulk, they were wearing the Abomination out. But the bastard was tough, and not tiring nearly quickly enough, despite all they could throw at him, and Ross was nearly on them.

“I’ve got the antigravity device set up in the front entrance of the Cube,” Fitz responded. “I’ve tested it, and it is working. You just need to get him within the five meter radius.”

“That is going to be a problem,” Tony remarked. “Isn’t there any way to bring the device here?”

“Not unless you have a few miles of high voltage extension cord. I rigged up all I could find just to get it out of the building.”

Tony cursed. With a little time, and a spare arc reactor, he could have made the damned thing mobile, but there wasn’t time, and the only arc reactor he had on him was keeping him alive.

“We’ll just have to get Banner there, somehow,” opined Captain America, over the com link. “I’m with Barton, and we’ll be at your position in five minutes. Can you hold out that long?”

A sarcastic ‘no’ was already forming on Tony’s lips when Jarvis interrupted to inform him that the jets now directly overhead had dropped a payload of something. A hurried scan revealed them to be not explosives, but large sonic charges. Their official name was the Banshee, but the troops who used them just called them ‘screamers’. The were an invention of Stark Industries, and being nonlethal, one of the few weapons they still produced. Now it was being used against a friend of Tony’s, because that was just how Tony’s life worked.

“Shit! Thor, Loki! Get down and cover your ears!”

Thor was already down, having been throw by the Abomination, but he didn’t take Tony’s advice, choosing instead to try and get up, looking around for his brother.

Loki was nowhere in sight, but at the last second, Tony caught sight of him in a ditch with both hands over his ears. Funny that he should be the one demonstrating caution and good judgement in this situation.

The charges, an even dozen of them, activated all around the Hulk and his adversary, each one emitting an ear-piercing, mind-erasing wail.

Now Thor had his ears covered tightly, his handsome features contoured. He staggered upright, determined, and used his hammer on the nearest one, which exploded under the impact, but didn’t make an appreciable difference in the decibels.

The Abomination and Hulk both stopped fighting each other to smash the things, and Loki crawled out of his ditch and beat one to death with a rock.

While this kept everyone momentarily distracted, one of Ross’ helicopters flew down and put a large nozzle out their open hatch.

Tony’s breathing hitched, thinking of flame throwers, but instead of fire, what emerged was a stream of dark liquid, pouring down on the Abomination. He flew nearer, trying to make out what the substance was. Oil? Tar? Some kind of drug?

Blonsky snarled pick up the remains of a screamer to throw at the copter, but when he attempted to lob it at them, the crushed metal sphere clung to his hand.

The black goo that covered most of the creature was bubbling and expanding, obscuring Blonsky’s bony plates and spines in a puffy froth that clung to everything it touched. Blonsky’s feet were already thickly covered with layers of grass and dirt, and his legs were sticking together. And his face. The foam was swelling and thickening over Blonsky’s features, blinding him, sealing over his mouth and nose.

His suddenly frantic attempts to claw it away were to no avail, because the stuff was elastic and unshakable. The stuff spread and grew and bloated until Blonsky was only a vaguely man-shaped lump of black ooze, slowly slumping, melting to the ground.

The helicopter had moved on, and now that noxious stuff was being aimed at the Hulk, who was quicker and lobbed his two destroyed screamers before they could open the nozzle, breaking the pilot’s windshield and narrowly missing the tail rotor. The chopper veered off, rushing upwards to escape, but two others closed in from opposite sides, opening fire with their guns.

The Hulk roared in pain and fury.

Tony took out the first chopper’s guns with his repulsors, and turned to find Thor taking aim at the other with his hammer.

“Don’t kill anyone!” he warned, not sure if the Asgardian understood that they could not kill Air Force troops. They couldn't even kill Ross.

Thor did not answer, but neither did he throw. Instead, he used the hammer to fly up, grab onto the helicopter, and rip the machine guns off with his hands. The men inside started firing at Thor with their rifles.

The jets had come around to drop another payload, this time a mixture of screamers and flash bombs, designed to blind and disorient.

Three other helicopters had run out goo dispensers of their own, and were circling. The situation was getting out of hand quickly, and Tony needed to get it straightened out before somebody got hurt.

He made a fast circuit and found Ross himself manning one of the nozzles, and flew up close to yell at the asshole, putting himself between the Hulk and the man obsessed with hunting him down.

“General Ross! Stand down!”

“Get out the way!” Ross yelled back, enraged. “This is a military operation, and if you try to interfere I’ll blast you out of the sky, shiny suit and all!”

Trying to stall for time, Tony shouted, “Look, I’m sorry about buying your favorite dive bar and kicking you out of it!”

 

~~~~~~

 

After a brief argument, Clint gave up piloting the sky cycle to Steve, who loved motorcycles, and who pointed out with unerring reasonableness that a bow would be more useful in aerial combat than a shield. They arrived on the scene to find Blonsky down, and Thor and Stark trying to hold off an entire squadron without actually killing anyone. Steve knew from experience how much harder that was than simply blowing your enemies out of the sky.

The Hulk was throwing anything that came to hand at any helicopters that came too close, but there wasn’t much anyone could do about the jets that were dropping things from high above, further infuriating the Hulk.

Steve was amazed at Clint’s shooting, and at his intimate knowledge of the aircraft. The archer managed to take three of the helicopters out the fight with arrows that sliced through hydraulic lines, causing just enough damage to force them to leave in search of safe landing sites, without making them disastrously lose control, but after that they were fired on so ferociously that they couldn’t get close.

Tony rushed to their aid, screaming to the general “Are you so fucking crazy that you’d kill Captain America just to get the Hulk?”

Using a bullhorn, Ross bawled, “Anyone who tries to prevent me from accomplishing my mission is an enemy, and I will deal with them accordingly!”

“Great,” Steve muttered. “This guy is even crazier than Loki.”

“Why, thank you, Captain Rogers,” Loki’s voice purred over his com link. “I agree.”

“Sorry,” Steve said, embarrassed.

“We can debate my mental state at some other time,” Loki said, unconcerned. “Right now we need to formulate a plan.”

Stark jumped in, “I don’t know how much longer we can hold them off without risking killing someone, or getting killed ourselves. I don’t know if Blonsky’s dead or not, but I’m pretty sure he can’t breath through that stuff, and we can’t either if we get tagged with that goop.”

“If we can get Hulk into the containment field, Ross won’t be able to touch him, and he won’t be able to justify using force against any of us if we can prove Banner’s not a threat!” Steve argued. “We just need to figure out how to talk Banner into it!”

“Leave that part to me, Captain,” Loki replied, sounding very certain of himself. “Can you, Barton and Stark keep these forces occupied without Thor’s help?”

“We’ll do what we can,” Steve promised. “You have an idea?”

“Loki,” Thor predictably protested, “ I cannot just leave a battle! It is not the act of a warrior!”

“You are not just a warrior, Thor,” Loki’s voice was now waspish. “You are the future king of Asgard, and it is time you began behaving as such!”

“A king would not run away like a coward, either,” Thor growled.

“Brother,” Loki’s voice was low and dangerous, “I you have truly changed, if you are not still the vain, cruel, greedy, war-mongering boy that you were before you were banished, you will at least get down here and listen to what I have to say.”

Thor finished disarming a gun crew, letting their weapons tumble to the ground, then flew off chasing the next one. It rose and dove like a bee, trying to escape him, only to be struck by a defunct Chitauri flyer that the Hulk had tossed into it. A minute later, it began to belch smoke and lose altitude.

Thor darted forward and caught one of the landing skids, slowing its descent long enough for the crew to all jump down the final few yards and flee before letting it fall. It crumpled and erupted into flames.

Ross took advantage of Thor’s holding still to save the mortals to fire a stream of the viscous liquid at him. It spattered his cape, and Thor cursed and released it to fall next to the wreck of the helicoper

“You may say whatever it is over this device. I am not quitting the battle until I have heard a good reason.”

They were now down to fifteen choppers, from the original twenty, and there were still four jets high above, dropping a mix of lethal and non-lethal bombs. To be fair (though Steve was not in any mood to be fair right now) the bombs seemed not to do the Hulk any more damage than the light and sound weapons, but Loki was down there, and Clint, perched behind him and firing off arrows at helicopters and falling bombs, was an ordinary man, with no godly resilience, no super serum or gamma induced immunity to bullets or shrapnel.

“Stark,” Loki called, “Is it possible that this Ross or some spy of his might be listening in on our conversation?”

“It’s not impossible,” Tony admitted, and Steve was unnerved to find himself impressed that Loki would be savvy enough to pick up on something like that.

“Thor, go find out what your brother’s idea is,” Steve ordered, even as he slewed the sky cycle around to bring up his shield just in time to protect himself and Barton from a hail of bullets.

“I don’t think brute force is the way to go here. We want to keep Banner from running, and we don’t want anyone to get hurt, on either side.”

“Very well.” Thor did not sound happy about it, but he dropped down to land in the gully where his brother had taken cover.

 

~~~~~~

“What is this plan, then?” Thor demanded, trying to keep his temper leashed. Loki’s plans usually worked, after all, but they never played to Thor’s strengths, and they frequently relied on subterfuge and withdrawal from a fight, both of which courted scorn from other warriors.

Pulling him down to crouch beside him, Loki told him.

Thor protested vehemently, “That is more your area of expertise, Loki! You go, and I will stay and fight!”

“In the first place, I cannot fly,” Loki countered, “So you or some other warrior would have to leave the fight to take me there. In the second place, I came to this world as a raving aggressor, which might disincline them to listen to me, and last but not least, Thor, I am not the heir to the throne of Asgard!”

“But I am not skilled at such things!” Thor all but shouted. “It was always meant to be your role.”

“Well,” Loki scowled, “It is not going to be, thus it is high time you learned.”

 

~~~~~~

 

After Thor had gone, Barton, Rogers and Stark attempted to keep the mortal soldiers distracted and away from the Hulk. Loki crept closer to the green giant, careful to avoid the patches of the sticky semi-liquid substance splashed around everywhere. When he was close enough that he thought he might be heard over the cacophonous thrum of the hovering air ships, he put his hands up to shout.

“Creature!” he called, then, because that seemed unkind, he changed it to “Banner!”

The green giant turned from prying up a pony-sized stone and looked at him guardedly. “Not Banner. Hulk.”

“Hulk then,” Loki called, scuttling a bit closer. “We need to talk!”

“Hulk busy!”

“We need to leave, then talk!”

“Hulk not want leave. Hulk smash puny Ross, then leave.”

“By the Norns,” Loki groaned, “Not you too. I thought you might be smarter than my brother.”

“Hulk not dumb,” Hulk insisted. “Puny Ross not follow if smashed.”  
 “True,” Loki conceded, moving closer while keeping an eye out for attacks from above. He didn’t think they could seriously injure him with most of what they were throwing at the Hulk, but it hurt, nonetheless, and he really did not want to be smothered in black glop. “But we have a plan to protect you, without having to run away, or hurt anyone.”

“How protect Hulk?” the beast asked, batting away one of the flash bombs before it could go off.

“We need to go back to where we were before. The large building.”

“Where Hulk broke roof?”

“Right.” Now Loki was standing directly before Hulk. “Let’s go.”

“Hulk not understand plan.”

“I will explain it when we get there!” Loki resisted the urge to smack him for his obstinacy. “Can we at least get away from the middle of this battle?”

A huge green hand swept out and dragged Loki against the massive chest, and then they were off, though he could not make out in what direction.

Travel by the Hulk’s tremendous leaps was even more disorienting than being flown by Thor, Loki decided, as his stomach lurched rebelliously on the third such bound, but at least he caught sight of the complex walls.

The Hulk put him down and steadied him before letting go. “Blue god explain.”

“My name is Loki, not blue god,” Loki said.

“Loki explain.”

“Yes.” Loki sucked in a long breath, trying to steady his nerves and get his thoughts in order. “We need you to go back to the complex, where they have a- a safe place for you. Once you are in this safe place, this Ross will not have any excuse to keep attacking you, and we will be able to make him stop and go away.”

The Hulk clearly did not believe this. “Hulk not think Ross go away if not smashed. What kind safe place?”

“I am not sure I understand it myself,” Loki admitted. “Some kind of containment field that they built to hold that other creature.”

“Like trap for Hulk?”

Loki winced inwardly. “Not exactly a trap.”

“Hulk can get out if Hulk want?”

“We will let you out after Ross is safely gone,” Loki promised.

“Hulk not like this plan.” He bunched his legs in preparation to leap away.

Panicked at the thought of being left behind before he could convince him, Loki flung himself at the Hulk, catching him around the neck and hanging on for dear life as they were once more whizzing up, then falling, falling, falling to the ground with teeth-rattling force.

The Hulk tried to pull him off. Loki clung. “Tony and Barton and Rogers are all risking themselves back there to defend you! My brother is going to get your authorities to call Ross off. We are trying to help you!”

The Hulk was being very gentle with him, Loki knew, because despite trying his hardest to hang on, he had been pulled off easily. Still, he was determined not to let the creature get away. He wrapped his arms around the wrist that was as large as one of his thighs and held on, his toes bouncing off the ground as the Hulk shook him lightly.

“Hulk not need help.”

“Maybe not,” Loki allowed, doggedly tightening his grip and throwing his legs around the Hulk’s arm as well.  
“But Banner needs their help! He needs friends and a life. He needs to be able to stop running, and stop being afraid all the time, doesn’t he?”

He could make out Iron Man coming their way, just ahead of a trio of jets. He hoped Stark was too busy to be watching this; he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this ridiculous.

The attempts to carefully dislodge him stopped, and the Hulk lifted him up to look into his face, much as a mortal would look at a wrist watch. “Puny Banner stay safe?”

“Between my brother and Tony Stark, I believe we can guarantee his safety, and yours, but only if we can prove you are not a threat,” Loki stipulated, slowly releasing his undignified clutch to drop back to his feet. “So you have to let us contain you for now. Please.”

“Hulk not trust.”

“I know,” Loki risked a glance at the approaching enemy. Iron Man, Rogers and Barton were slowing them, but not by much. “It’s hard to trust, I know, but this might be Banner’s best chance. Your best chance. You fought to save your world. Banner did everything SHIELD asked of him, and Thor and I will do all we can, as will Stark.”

“Why Loki care?” Hulk demanded.

“I- We do not have time for this!” Loki pleaded, catching a large green hand in both of his and tugging.

“Hulk want know!” Hulk obdurately refused to be moved.

“Because Banner was kind to me,” Loki said in a rush. “Because you helped me! Because I am a monster too, and if I am going to trust certain people not to lock… not to do terrible things to me, I would have you trust as well!”

Hulk’s face wrinkled up in confusion. “Loki not monster!”

“Some people are going to think so,” Loki informed him.

Hulk snorted. “Some people stupid. Loki pretty. Nice to Hulk.”

“I am trying to be.” Loki tugged harder. “Will you please take us there?” He pointed. “Just inside the walls.”

“Hulk still not like plan.”

“But will you try it?”

“Hulk go look, then decide.” He lifted Loki up and jumped twice more, coming down inside the compound. He put Loki down and glared around as if expecting an attack.

The young scientist, Fitz, let out a high-pitched, startled shriek at the Hulk’s sudden appearance. Nearby, Romanov stood balanced on her toes, looking as tense as a cat in a dog kennel. Agent Coulson stepped forward, putting himself in front of his subordinates, just as a good officer should. He too was nervous, but he kept it mostly concealed, instead greeting the Hulk as if he were a colleague.

“Thank you for coming,” Coulson said. “We have everything ready for you, if you’ll just come this way?” He swept a hand back to indicate a flat metal platform, from which ran a snarl of cables. It was emitting a low hum that Loki could hear from several yards away. The sound was entirely too reminiscent of a bee hive for his liking.

“Hulk do this, Ross leave Hulk and Banner alone?”

“We hope so,” Coulson said, not making any promises. “We are doing all we can to make that happen.”

Romanov took a step closer, looking resolute despite her fear. “I told Doctor Banner he would be free to go once he was done. I mean to make sure that happens.”

Loki appraised the woman, surprised at her apparent sincerity. She had struck him as a rather remorseless creature, except for her friendship with Barton, and she was deathly afraid of the Hulk. Of course, she might be lying, but if she was, she was even better at it than he’d thought.

The loud roar of Iron Man’s jets alerted them to his arrival just before he also came down to land in the courtyard. “What’s the hold-up, Big Guy?”

“Hulk not like plan.”

“Oh.” Stark popped the visor of his suit so as to look up at the Hulk. “What’s the problem, Mean Green? You get in the bubble, we tell Ross to fuck off, and afterwards we all go get something to eat. I was thinking schwarma, but I think we’ll be lucky to find a burger joint in this neighborhood.”

“It’s perfectly safe,” Leo Fitz said, from where he stood just behind Coulson.

“I don’t think that’s the issue,” Loki told him. “It’s a trap, and you’re asking him to just step into it. How is he to know you won’t betray him?”

“Is that it?” Tony said, gazing fearlessly at the green behemoth. “Hey kid,” he turned to Fitz. “How big is your bubble again?”

“The sphere of containment is just over five meters,” the younger man replied. “Centered over the platform.”

“Plenty roomy,” Stark said, turning back to Hulk. “How’s about I go in first?”

While Hulk considered, Barton and Rogers came down for too-fast landing, skidding their little craft hard across the broken paving.

“Hey!” Stark yelled in indignation. “Respect the tech, guys!”

“Sorry!” Rogers tilted the cycle to a semi-upright position after hopping off after Barton, and they both came over, though Barton circled wide around the Hulk, going to stand between Romanov and Coulson.

The remaining helicopters were all coming in right behind them, arraying themselves in a loose circle with the Hulk and his would-be protectors in the center. The noise was deafening.

“There’s no more time!” Loki yelled, putting his hands against Hulk’s back and pushing. “Stark and I will both go in with you!”

“You bet, Biggie Size!” Tony started walking backwards towards the platform, beckoning Hulk to follow with both hands. The Hulk took one step, then another.

“What are we doing?” the Captain shouted.

Loki didn’t feel like trying to explain at the top of his lungs, so he shortened it to “We are going in with Hulk!”

“All of us?” Barton asked, since they were close enough for him and Romanov to hear. The two of them had moved out to protect Coulson, who had gone to stand beside Fitz.

“Why not?” Tony yelled. “All for one, and one for all! Avengers assemble!” His foot crossed into the anti-gravity field and he was suddenly floating up and back.

The Hulk stopped on the threshold, still wary.

“Go on!” Loki shoved, uselessly, then, following Stark’s lead, darted around and found himself no longer on the ground. It felt unpleasantly like falling.

“Come on, Big Guy!” Stark urged. “You too, Cap!”

Like Thor, Steve Rogers was up to any challenge. He stepped into the bubble, followed promptly by Barton, and a less than pleased-looking Romanov.

“Get your giant green ass in here!” Stark yelled at Hulk. “Ross can’t have you! You’re with us!”

Ponderously, the Hulk stepped in with them and floated to the center of the containment field.

Fitz had not explained that although the field’s influence was five meters, its effect was to concentrate anything caught in it to the center, so all of them were drawn right up against the Hulk.

Loki settled himself against the Hulk’s chest, and was grateful when the tree-sized arms wrapped protectively around him.

The others arranged themselves awkwardly, forming a human and non-human shield around their teammate, and hoping Ross would not be insane enough to fire on his foe with so many others in the way.

The helicopters hovered, but none fired. No new bombs fell. After a time that seemed unending but was likely only a few moments, one of them came in for a landing, and an apoplectic older man stormed out, charging straight at them.

The Hulk’s rumbling growl caused everyone to shift uneasily, except Loki, who was content, and Stark who was confident.

“Easy there, Muscle Mountain,” Stark soothed, patting Hulk’s shoulder with a gauntleted hand. “Let the windbag blow all he wants. He can’t do a thing.”

Coulson smoothly intercepted the general, extending his credentials and offering that small, polite smile he had used so disarmingly on Loki.

“I’m Agent Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division,” he said, as if he weren’t the slightest bit concerned about the sheer hatred emanating from the man, or the flying engines of death and destruction still hanging over them all, close enough to kick up clouds of dust and grit all around.

“I don’t give a damn who you are,” Ross sneered. “I expect you to turn that whatever it is over to me so I can take this menace into custody. You can get the rest of your freak show out of there, or I can take them with me and send them back to you once the monster is secured.”

Fitz clutched the oversized remote control closer to his chest and announced, “It’s SHIELD property. Highly classified. I’m afraid I can’t possibly hand it over to you without authorization. Written authorization,” he tacked on, emphatically.

“Which will not be forthcoming,” Nick Fury stated loudly, from behind Loki and everyone else in the ‘Hulk bubble’. The director stalked around them on their left, with Thor at his side. Loki could not recall ever having been so pleased to see his brother looking smug. Hopefully that meant that Thor had succeeded at the task Loki had given him, and not that his brother had decided on his own course of action.

“General Ross,” Fury paused to raise an eyebrow at all the figures clinging to a hovering Hulk, then turned to look at the bristling soldier, “I appreciate you and your men coming to give us support, but the situation has already been resolved. Everything is under control now, so I don’t think we’ll be requiring your help after all.”

“You think you can just dismiss me?” Ross marched up to meet him, waving an arm towards the Hulk and shouting, “I have authorization to take Banner into custody. Now either you hand him over or my men open fire!”

Without looking back, Fury called over his shoulder, “Stark, make sure everyone up there can hear us.”

“You got it, Cyclops,” Stark replied.

“Now,” Fury fixed Ross with a hard stare, “Anybody who opens fire on SHIELD agents, or our consultants, or our new friends from an advanced civilization seeking closer ties, is going to be shot down, then scraped up and sent to prison. Is that clear?”

“Banner does not work for you,” Ross denied, hotly.

“As of a few minutes ago, he does. The World Security Council has given permission for him to be a part of the Avengers Initiative, and put Banner on retainer as a scientific consultant. He’s ours now, is that clear?”

The Hulk’s low growl vibrated through Loki, pressed tight to his chest. He patted the large hand holding him. “Shush. He meant you are on their team, not their property,” he whispered.

Hulk grunted his understanding.

Ross glared. Fury waited.

Coulson cleared his throat. “We would appreciated it if you would take Blonsky, though. Our facility is too damaged to keep him here.”

Ross glanced up, seeming to take notice of the carcass of the giant Leviathan that now lay draped over the main building, its ends dangling down on both sides, and the multitude of dead Chitauri and crashed flyers littering the courtyard.

Loki wondered if the man was thinking about the Hulk’s heroic behavior, or about the wisdom of attacking the same small group of people who had taken out an entire alien army.

“You’re making a big mistake, Fury,” Ross warned.

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

Without another word, Ross turned and went back to his helicopter, and took off, followed by all the rest. The drumming of their rotors faded into the distance, gradually replaced by a profound quiet.

“Finally,” Stark said, popping his face plate. “Okay, the world is saved, we’re all more or less safe, and I am starved. Would you mind turning this thing off so we can can go eat?”

“Sir?” Fitz looked to Coulson for confirmation, but Fury was the one to say “Go ahead.”

The force holding them all up suddenly dispersed, dropping everyone but Stark, who had engaged his thrusters to lower himself more sedately. Rogers landed on his feet. Barton and Romanov both performed acrobatic rolls.

The Hulk’s arms stayed around Loki as they came down, but an instant after, those arms began to shrink and lose their vivid emerald hue. Loki turned just in time to catch Banner as he fell unconscious. He was not quite quick enough to catch the man’s overstretched pants, though.

Thor had also reached out, probably in an attempt to help, and now stood there with a hand outstretched, looking aghast.

Fury shut his eye and rubbed his forehead. Fitz muffled a giggle that set off Barton, who was soon nearly falling down laughing.

Stark commented, “I really am going to have to invent Hulk-proof pants for next time. Just think, if Loki had managed to pull off his original plan, we could be having this scene in downtown Manhattan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, people. I adore comments. Or kudos, if you aren't feeling chatty.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the battle for Earth being over, there's still a lot going on!

After watching Ross and his men fly off into the sunset, Fury turned to Coulson. His ‘one good eye’ was looking the worse for wear. Tired. Bruised. Wary.

“Agent Coulson, come with me. We need to talk.” He surveyed Loki and the Avengers sternly. “As for the rest of you, I’d appreciate it if you refrained from doing anything stupid till I get back.”

“I think we can manage that, sir,” Rogers replied, looking around at the others.

Banner’s pants were back up, but he was still unconscious, lying with his head in Loki’s lap. Stark had divested himself of his armor, which had been sparking and emitting wisps of smoke at the joints of one arm. Romanov and Barton were sitting shoulder to shoulder on a chunk of concrete that had been knocked loose from somewhere. Only Thor looked like he could go a few more rounds, standing protectively behind his brother and resting a large hand on Loki’s bent head.

Most of them looked too tired to cause trouble, but Stark’s expression of childish defiance did not bode well. Fuck it. Nick wasn’t up to trying to manage Stark right now. He just turned, heading back inside to the mostly undamaged room that they had set up as a temporary command center.

Coulson fell in step next to him, but said nothing until they were in private. “Sir-”

Coulson looked like he was about to apologize. Nick cut him off.

“Agents Hand and Sitwell will be here within the hour to start cleaning this mess up. I assume they are not compromised?”

Phil flinched minutely, but shook his head. “No sir. I brought all the affected people with me.” He looked guilty as hell as he continued, “I understand if you can’t trust me to-“

“I need you for a different mission, Phil,” Nick told him. “One I wouldn’t give to anyone I didn’t trust absolutely.’

The relief on Coulson’s face was too raw. Nick turned aside to grab a bottle of water and one of the energy drinks that had been salvaged from what was left of the cafeteria. Phil had his expression back under control when he turned back to offer the drinks.

Phil chose the energy drink, cracked it and took a swallow before asking, “What mission?”

“Thor has invited us to send a representative to Asgard when he takes Loki back. Someone to look out for Earth’s interests, and argue for compensation for the damage Loki did while he was on our planet.”

“You really think they’ll pay up?” Phil asked, his initial surprise shifting to consideration as he thought it through.

“I think it is worth sending you, and Barton and Romanov, even it we don’t get anything out of it except intelligence on Thor’s people.”

“Barton and Romanov?”

“Thor informs me that an ambassador should have an entourage, and that his people will be impressed by their martial skills.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Phil agreed, slowly. “Have you told them yet?”

“No. I’ll let you do that. After that, I want you to get some rest. We need to make plans. I’ll see if I can get an estimate on the property damage, and an accurate count on casualties. Thor did say they would definitely pay something called a ‘weregild’ on that.”

“I can do that,” Phil offered.

“I want you to get some sleep, Phil,” Fury ordered. “You need to be on top of your game for this.”

“All right. I guess I can bunk down with Banner somewhere,” Phil said. “When are we leaving?”

“Not for at least a day or two. We’ll probably go back to Stark’s tower first, since Thor and Loki will be more comfortable there, and Stark will just cause trouble if we try to cut him out of the loop now.”

“He’s liable to cause trouble when he finds out he’s not going with us,” Phil said. “He’s not, is he?”

“Hell no.” Nick said emphatically.

“You may have to taser him,” Phil said with a little smile, almost his old self again.

“You know me, Phil,” Nick told him. “I do what I have to do.”

 

~~~~~~

 

Steve found himself falling back into wartime habits. The battle was done, so it was time to take care of the injured. No one looked seriously injured, but Doctor Banner was unconscious. They should get him to a bed.

“Good idea,” Tony said, when Steve suggested they take him down to the infirmary. “He’ll probably want to help out there when he wakes up anyway.”

Loki started to lift Banner, but Thor leaned down and took the sleeping man when his brother staggered under the weight. “I will carry him. You have not recovered from your encounter with the Tesseract,” Thor reminded him. Loki scowled faintly, but did not argue the point.

They all decided to go along, perhaps wishing to hang onto the feeling of togetherness they had found, standing up for the Hulk and facing down a bully. Steve knew that feeling too, remembering how he and the Howling Commandos had preferred to stick together, even on leave.

But once they arrived in the busy medical ward, Agent Coulson had taken Barton and Romanov aside to discuss SHIELD business, and once Banner had been settled on a cot, Thor had asked for a chance to speak with his brother, so Steve had decided to see if he could help the doctors or nurses in some way.

Seeing a rather slight woman attempting to maneuver a patient onto a gurney by herself, he touched her on the shoulder to offer help, and was surprised and a touch alarmed when she whirled with a little yelp, staring up at him with a familiar pair of big brown eyes.

“It’s you!” Steve accused, grasping her arm and giving her a little shake.

Her eyes went even bigger, but she essayed a game but unsure little smile. “Have we met before? I mean, I don’t think so, since I feel positive I would remember meeting you. You’re famous! So maybe you’re thinking of somebody else?”

“Wait,” Steve frowned, thinking. Mystique’s ability was to be able to look like anyone she wanted, which meant there had been a real Jemma Simmons to be imitated. “How do I know you’re really you?”

“Who else would I be?” she asked, looking flustered.

“I’m sorry,” Steve let her go and stepped back. “It’s just that I have met you, but you turned out to not really be you, but a blue-skinned woman.”

“Oh!” Her eyes lit up with excited understanding. “You mean her! Mystique! You say she was me? Really?”

“She really was,” Steve confirmed, taking a second look at the patient she had been trying to move and recognizing Magneto, still out from whatever he’d been shot with.

“That’s so strange,” the young woman mused. “Why should she impersonate me? It’s not like I’m anyone important.”

“Well, you, I mean she, kind of caught me off guard and led me into a trap, and I don’t mean to be rude, but do you have any way of proving that you’re really you?”

“You think I’m her?” Jemma squeaked.

“It’s just,” Steve scratched the back of his neck, which felt too warm, “If she can, she’ll probably be trying to rescue him.” He waved at the prone mutant. “And I’d feel like an idiot if I got fooled again.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, “But I don’t know of any way to tell. There might be something in the records. I can try to find out if you really don’t trust me.”

“What were you doing with him?” Steve asked, trying to see if his caution was justified or not.

“We need to move him to the Fridge. They have a back-up containment cell for him there. We don’t want to risk him waking up, but we don’t want to have to keep him sedated for too long either.”

“So where were you taking him?”

“There’s a helicopter waiting.”

“Okay. How about letting me take him up, then?” Steve offered. “You’ve probably got plenty of other stuff to do here.” He took a careful grip onto the mutant’s shoulders and eased him half onto the gurney.

She grabbed his feet and completed the transfer. “It’s very nice of you to offer, but I’m supposed to ride along, to monitor his condition and give more drugs if necessary.”

She fastened straps across Magneto’s chest and legs to make sure he wouldn't fall off, and started to push. Steve stood in her path and blocked the gurney.

“I think I’m going to have to insist we take some kind of precautions here.”

“What’s the problem, Captain?” Fury’s voice called from behind him.

Steve turned, coming to attention. “Director Fury,” he stammered a little, feeling too much like a green private under Fury’s questioning look. He flushed, but explained, “Mystique was disguised as Miss Simmons here, earlier. I was just trying to make sure she wasn’t… isn’t her again.”

“Doctor Simmons,” Simmons corrected under her breath.

“I commend your vigilance,” Fury told him, without any change of expression. “But it’s not needed any longer. Mystique has already been apprehended. She was posing as one of our agents, but she changed after being shot with one of those non-lethal bullets.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Steve and Simmons exchanged relieved smiles.

“Is he ready to go?” Fury asked her, looking down at her dangerous patient. “I’m going along with you two. I want to be sure he’s delivered safely.”

“Yes, sir. All ready. Just let me get my bag.” She hurried across the room and picked up a medical kit and hurried back.

“You’re sure you have everything you need?” Fury inquired. “Something to knock him out if he starts coming to?”

“Of course,” she nodded. “I have the doses all made up for emergencies. Both the sedative and a stimulant, though I hope we won’t need to use that.”

“Excellent,” Fury’s lips bent up briefly, looking pleased and very unlike his usual grim self. “Let’s get going.”

Steve got out of their way. “Will you be coming back here, Director? Or are you going on ahead?”

The tiny smile vanished, and Fury was back to his usual stern demeanor. “I don’t know yet. But the sooner I go, the sooner you’ll have your answer, Captain.”

He took charge of the gurney, letting Simmons go on ahead, and hurried out, barely nodding in passing when Agent Coulson called out to him.

Steve moved off, offering to help the other people who were tending the wounded or trying to organize or clean, but it soon became clear that they didn’t need help and that he was just distracting them and getting in the way, so he went back to his team.

Banner was still out. Coulson was sitting on a bed next to him, looking ready to fall over soon himself, and Barton was by him, filling him in on what had happened since they’d parted.

Steve waited for a pause in the story before asking, “Where are the others?”

Clint turned around, waving up at him. “Stark and Thor said something about finding some food. Loki went with Thor and Natasha went to keep an eye on them.”

“Okay,” Steve said, just because he had to say something.

Coulson sat straighter and asked, “What were you talking about with Simmons and Fury?”

“About moving Magneto to a different facility. The Fridge?”

Both agents nodded. “It’s SHIELD’s most secure detainment center,” Coulson explained.

“Was there a problem about moving him?” Barton asked, and Steve guessed he’d been watching.

“No, it wasn’t that,” Steve admitted, ruefully. “I was a little worried that Mystique might still be masquerading as Miss Simmons, since I saw her in that disguise earlier.”

“She’s still loose?” Coulson started to get up, looking worried. “I forgot about her, with everything else that’s been going on, but I can…”

“No, don’t get up,” Steve told him hurriedly. “It’s okay. Fury said they caught her already.”

“Oh,” Coulson sat back. “That’s good. I wonder why he didn’t tell me?”

“Like you said, there’s been a lot going on,” Barton suggested.

“He seemed in a hurry to get going,’ Steve shrugged.

“Going?” Coulson repeated, sounding confused. “Going where? From what he said earlier, I thought he was going to New York with the rest of us.”

“He said he might be coming back after he dropped Magneto off, but he wasn’t sure,” Steve said.

Now Coulson and Barton were both looking at him as if he’d said something strange. Coulson checked his understanding, “He said he was leaving with Magneto?”

“Yes?” Steve answered, feeling a little anxious himself at the growing apprehension on their faces. “What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering him, Coulson just gave Barton a look.

Seeming to read his handler’s thoughts, Barton reached into a pocket and put his comm device back on, activated it and said, “Director Fury?”

Steve hastily dug his own out and fumbled it into his ear just in time to hear Fury’s “What is it now, Barton?”

“Sir, are you by any chance on the helicopter taking Magneto to the Fridge?” Barton asked, rather plaintively.

There was a long, fraught silence. Well, probably not that long, objectively, but very fraught. Then, “No, Barton. Why do you ask?”

Coulson could not hear this, but he could evidently read the answer in their faces. He cursed under his breath. Clint winced.

Steve repressed a groan at the thought of her having fooled him again.

“Well, sir,” Clint told Fury, “I think we have a problem.”

 

~~~~~~

 

The team, except for Banner, had been up for a chase, but there was no need. The partially dismantled helicopter was quickly located just outside of Cody, Wyoming, not far from a group of agents who had already been nearby to search for Sterns and the scepter. Simmons and the two pilots were just beginning to recover from being drugged, but none of them had been harmed, which was probably the best outcome they could have hoped for, from two escaping prisoners with a grudge against humanity in general and SHIELD in particular for imprisoning them and using mind control on them both.

There was no sign of Mystique or Magneto; Fury suspected they might have gone into the wilds of Yellowstone, which was just too big and too rugged, and SHIELD was in disorder after everything else that had happened. The search was suspended, or at least moved to someone else’s department, and Steve and Clint went back to the infirmary, since they hadn’t made it very far from it before Fury had told them the news.

The Captain had been upset, thinking he was responsible for letting them get away, and Phil had had to talk him down. Once Rogers was gone, Clint had to be the one to talk Phil out of his guilt trip for having let them both out of their cells in the first place.

“You did the best you could, Phil,” Clint reminded him. “You’re only human, after all. Besides, Magneto did risk himself to help us out with that nuke. Maybe we owe him one.”

“I had intended to try and get him more privileges…” Phil admitted, ruefully. “He is a threat to humanity, but I do understand his cause. Maybe someday he’ll learn a better way of fighting for mutants rights. He could do so much good.”

Clint picked at a burned and frayed corner of his body armor. “Why is it I get the feeling we aren’t just talking about Lehnsherr?”

“Because you’re smart, even if you pretend not to be half the time,” Phil informed him.

“You want me to talk to Loki,” Clint stated, crossing his arms.

“I want you to see what you can find out about what to expect before we go to Asgard, and do what you can to resolve your issues with him while you still have a chance.”

“You want me to talk to him about feelings?” Clint’s nerves went taut as a bowstring at the idea.

“Would you rather talk to the source of your problems now, or a SHIELD therapist later?”

Phil knew very well how much Clint hated the idea of shrinks, but the man was impervious to the black look Clint shot him.

“Fine. I’ll talk to him.”

“Good,” Phil nodded.

“I’ll find out about Asgard,” was all Clint was willing to promise.

Coulson just smiled and lay back in the cot, closing his eyes as Clint went to do his bidding.

 

~~~~~~

 

He found Loki and Thor eating and quarreling in the shade of one of two large food trucks emblazoned with ‘The Pit Crew’ on their sides, the sight of which, not to mention the delicious odor of barbecue wafting from them, distracted him from his mission.

“What the hell?” Clint looked at the trucks, and then around at all the alien wreckage that had yet to be picked up. Most of the bodies had been carted off, at least, but the Leviathan corpses were the size of office buildings and not easily hidden.

The blue alien he had come in search of had shut down upon Clint’s arrival, and was silently standing next to his brother, his eyes on his half-finished bowl of stew. Thor was ripping into a rack of ribs, slinging droplets of sauce off as he gesticulated. “The Man of Iron summoned a prodigious feast! You are welcome to partake of what you wish from the men in the wagon windows.”

“How did these guys get here?” Clint asked. “How did you get them past Fury? He knows, right?” The director must know, since the two agents at the righthand chow wagon were calmly ordering food.

“I know not, friend Hawkeye!” Thor replied cheerfully. “But it is most welcome! Is it not tradition on Midgard to feast after a victory?”

“It absolutely is,” Stark said, coming around from the other side of one of the food trucks, his arms laden with styrofoam food containers.

“Don’t get your feathers ruffled, Cupid. The Big Bald wasn’t thrilled, but these guys are retired Special Forces.” He jerked a thumb awkwardly back in the direction of the caterers. “They can keep secrets, and I’m paying them enough that they won’t even be tempted to talk to the papers.”

Natasha was strolling right behind Stark, carrying two containers of her own, and two bottles of soda. “I was just coming to find you,” she told Clint, smiling as she pressed the plate and a cold Sprite into his hands. “I got you the brisket sandwich.”

“Thanks.” Clint absently put it down on some slabs of cement that had been put together into a rough table.

“Is Bruce awake?” Tony asked. “I got him some food. Everything vegetarian they had. Which wasn’t much of a variety, but I got plenty of it, and extra desserts. Seems a shame to miss out on ribs this good, but to each his own.”

“He wasn’t when I left, but he could be by now, I guess.”

“I’ve got a plate for Agent too,” Tony said. “If you want anything else, just let them know. It’s all paid for.” He sauntered off with his movable feast.

Natasha was watching Clint watch Loki. She must have picked up on his wanting to talk to him in private, so it wasn’t as out of the blue as it might have seemed when she suggested, “Hey, Thor, do you want to go see Jane Foster before you and Loki head home?”

Thor’s head came up like an dog hearing the treat jar being opened. “Jane?”

Loki looked up too, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. “You should, brother. You might not get back to Midgard soon, and mortal lives are so short.”

“I would like that very much,” Thor admitted, slowly. “She must have wondered greatly when I did not return as a I promised.”

Clint thought that was probably an understatement.

Taking Thor’s arm, she nudged him back towards the nearest truck. “Why don’t we take Fury some food and ask him to get her back to the states?”

Remembering Loki, Thor turned back. “I should stay with-“

Looking affronted, his brother gibed, “I give you my oath not to run away in your absence.”

Equally offended, Thor growled, “That is not what I meant!”

“I’ll stay with him,” Clint told Thor. “I need to talk to him anyway.”

Both Thor and Loki looked apprehensive at that.

“Barton, I know you are still angered over what my brother did to you-“

“Yeah, I’m still pissed, but I just want to talk to him for a bit. Go ahead and get with Fury about seeing your girlfriend. I promise I won’t hurt him.”

“As if you could,” Loki muttered disdainfully. Thor shot him a quelling look and he slouched back into silence.

“I will hold you to your oath, Hawkeye,” Thor told him. “You as well, brother. And I have not forgotten that Warleader Fury broke his word to me during the battle. I would have words with him on that.”

“You may want to hold off on that if you want his help seeing Foster,” Clint warned.

“Nay,” Thor dropped his now well-gnawed rib bone and wiped his hands and face with a fistful of napkins. “Oath breaking is no light offense.”

Loki sat down on a nearby cinderblock, and took a neat bite of his stew.

“I will return soon,” Thor proclaimed to him, and possibly to Clint as well, and let Natasha, who had acquired more food, lead him away.

This left the two of them alone. Well, except for the dozens of SHIELD agents who were either eating or working. They were all out of earshot, as long as neither of them shouted, at least. Clint was actually happier to have them around; he didn’t know if he could stand to be truly alone with Loki again, after everything that had happened.

Now that they had privacy, Clint didn’t know where to begin. He put it off a little longer by dragging up a ripped car seat and sitting down to eat his own food. It had gone a little cold, but the brisket was meltingly tender, and the sauce was nicely tangy. After the first bite, his appetite kicked into high gear and he found himself wolfing the food down and going for seconds. He was done with everything but dessert- a slice of moist pound cake, before he felt ready to talk.

 

Loki had set his own bowl aside unfinished, and was idly watching the cleanup efforts.

“You don’t like it?” Clint asked, meaning the food. Food was a safe topic. Maybe after the food, they could discuss the weather, which was fair, not too cool, with a light, variable breeze and hopefully no further chance of space invasions or planet-eating portals.

Not looking at him, Loki shrugged. “I am not hungry.”

That seemed to put the kibosh on the food discussion, and the weather plan was admittedly stupid. He fell back on Coulson’s instructions.

“Tell me about Asgard.”

Turning to face him, Loki raised an eyebrow. “What would you like to know?”

Tough question. “What do we need to know?”

“You and your fellow mortals, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

Leaning back, Loki crossed his ankles. “Why not ask Thor? After all, I might lead you astray for reasons of my own. Or for my own entertainment.”

Clint thought back to the fight with General Ross, and Loki’s sending his brother off to talk to Fury in the middle of things, after which there had been the offer of protection for the Hulk, and before which no one had mentioned any invites to Asgard.

“It was your idea that we come along,” he decided, suddenly rather worried about that.

Blue lips curved up into an unrepentant smirk. “Very good, my Hawk.”

The last bite of cake turned to mud and ashes in Clint’s mouth. He choked it down and snarled, “Don’t you ever call me that again.”

Loki stiffened, averting his gaze. “I am sorry.”

“Are you?” Clint wanted to get up and stalk over to the demigod. He wanted to punch him and hit him and throttle him till he screamed for mercy. He recalled the muffled scream as he’d shoved the too large plug into Loki, and the dull crack of the flogger striking flesh. He hadn’t wanted to do any of that. Had he?

A black, sick little part of him wanted Stark’s toy box back, with no interruptions this time, until he had drawn blood and tears out of his former master. Until Loki begged for mercy. He shoved the thought down, deep, and buried it under his purely justified anger.

“Prove it,” Clint demanded, and adamantly did not think about Loki on his knees, taking Clint’s cock deep into his throat until he gagged. What was wrong with him? Was it something leftover from what Loki had done to him? He wasn’t gay, and he wasn’t into kink!

But Loki isn’t precisely a guy, his brain reminded him, training his eyes on the rise of breasts under the dusty black fatigues, remembering how they were just the size to fit neatly in a man’s hands, with the hardened nipples pressing into his palms.

“Very well,” Loki murmured. “I will try. You are correct that inviting you and the others to come to Asgard was my idea. I thought your Council would jump at the idea of gaining riches and possible advantages over their enemies. Your director Fury is a spymaster, he wants to learn all he can of us, no?”

“Yes,” Clint agreed. “You guys have been watching us for ages. It only seems fair we get a look back for a change.”

“Fair has nothing to do with it,” Loki told him. “And it would not be in your world’s interests to suggest you are owed anything.”

“What about the damage you did? Coulson said Thor promised you would pay a what do you call it- A weregild?”

“I think it likely you can gain recompense for the lives and property that were destroyed-“

“That you destroyed,” Clint corrected, annoyed at the passive sense.

“That I destroyed,” Loki accepted without pause, continuing, “I think Odin and his advisors will agree to pay, but only if you couch it as an appeal, not a demand. Honor demands that wronged parties be given justice, but if you attempt to present demands, they will be offended, and think your world ungrateful for all they have already done for you.”

“Like what?”

“Asgard’s last great war was waged to protect your world from an invasion of Frost Giants,” Loki explained.

“When was this?” Clint asked, startled.

“Right around the time I was born, some thousand of your years ago.”

Clint must have still looked lost, because Loki asked, “Your people really have no memory of this?”

“Not that I’ve ever heard.” Clint wasn’t about to go into how little history he’d ever bothered to learn. It wasn’t relevant; Loki probably wasn’t making that part up. Still, he made a mental note to confirm that with Thor.

“Well, the All-Father and most of his Council remember it quite clearly. To them, it has barely been any time since your kind worshiped us as gods.”

“You’re saying they won’t consider us equals.”

“They will not,” Loki flashed a bitter little grin that vanished just a swiftly. “But your presence will give you the opportunity to show them how much you’ve grown. You in particular will impress them with your bow. No one in all Asgard will be able to outmatch your aim. Just don’t be surprised if someone calls you a coward for specializing in a distance weapon.”

Clint blinked. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No. Asgardian warriors are expected to fight their opponents face to face, without guile or stealth.”

“That’s just nuts,” Clint scoffed, eliciting a breath of laughter from Loki. “But you fight with illusions, and throwing knives. Is that only against us lowly mortals?”

“No,” Loki told him, unhappily, “It’s not. I agree with your assessment of the intelligence of standing within range of an enemy’s blade if it can be helped.”

“They think you’re a coward?”

“Oh, yes,” Loki smiled coldly. “A coward and womanly. They will no doubt be glad to see me in this body. It meets all their expectations.”

Stupid, Clint thought, deciding he was going to let Coulson and Natasha do all the talking if he could. Still, while all this was probably helpful, it wasn’t what he really wanted to know. He had to ask.

“Just what are you getting out of this? Why do you really want us along?”

Red eyes glimmered with some suppressed emotion. “Can I not merely be attempting to make some restitution for the harm I have done?”

“No,” Clint refuted, suddenly angry again. “I mean, maybe you are, but that’s not all of it.”

Loki didn’t answer for a moment, and he refused to meet Clint’s eyes when he offhandedly said, “Thor is infatuated with a mortal woman. She might gain a better reception in Asgard, if she ever comes there, if she is not the first mortal the court has encountered in a thousand years.”

“No, that’s not it, either,” Clint pursued. “You don’t give a damn about Thor.”

“Yes, I do,” Loki hissed. “I may hate him at times, but I love him as well. Never forget that!”

Unperturbed at the display of temper, Clint revised, “You don’t give a damn about Thor’s girlfriend.”

The anger vanished in a cackle, and Loki shook his head. “Oh, Barton, you see so much, don’t you?”

“Tell me. You want us to help you somehow. We can’t help if we don’t know how.”

“Why would you want to help me?”

I don’t, Clint thought. “I said I would, remember? When I asked you to give up the Tesseract.”

“You didn’t mean it,” Loki said. “It was only a ruse to keep me from escaping with the Tesseract.”

“Don’t tell me what I meant, okay?” Clint unscrewed the bottle of pop and drank the last, mostly flat swallow. “Just tell me what you really want. Why you want us along.”

Loki sighed. “If you, or your fellow mortals, are asked what my sentence should be, what will you say?”

That you should be dismembered slowly, Clint did not say. Locked up in your people’s deepest dungeon and throw away the key, he also kept to himself.

“I have no idea,” he admitted.

“Your kind are somewhat less bloody-minded than you once were,” Loki told him.

“You want your judges to know that,” Clint said. “So they don’t assume we automatically want you dead.”

“Among other things.”

“Thor doesn’t think they are going to go too hard on you.”

“Thor is a fool,” Loki snapped.

“Isn’t he the prince? Won’t they want to go along with his wishes?”

Shrugging again, Loki looked down at his folded hands. “Perhaps. Somewhat.”

He was afraid to go home, and Clint could hardly blame him. “I think if we feel certain you aren’t going to attack our world again, we’d be satisfied. With damages paid, of course,” he added, as Loki looked up at him.

The bastard smiled, almost gently. “Of course.”

“It doesn’t mean I forgive you, though. For what you made me do.”

“No. Of course not.” Loki looked beyond Clint and stood up, dusting off his clothes. Clint looked to see Thor and Stark headed their way, and got up as well.

“At least you have someone else to blame,” Loki said, stepping past him to go greet his brother.

Clint followed slowly, wondering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~~~~
> 
> A million thanks to tilla123 for beta reading and more! You guys would not get as good a story without her, honestly!
> 
>  
> 
> Kudos, bookmarks and especially COMMENTS make writers 'splode for joy!


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised, more smut. Ta-dah!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks to everyone who has been leaving kudos and comments! I love feedback!
> 
> And thanks to my beta, tilla123, who has been invaluable.
> 
> ~~~~~~

Putting down his scotch, Tony picked up his soldering iron and bent over the chest plate of the Mark VII to continue making repairs. The fingers of his free hand drummed against the arc reactor along to the beat of ‘Texas Nuclear Boogie’ by Impellitteri. He had cranked up the volume because metal was meant to be played loud, and also to drown out any non-technical thoughts that tried to slip in. 

He had already completed the Mark VIII, which while less bulky looking, was sturdier, with extra layers of Kevlar. It also had upgraded weapons, faster flight and greater maneuverability. The next invading space army wouldn’t know what hit them. But that was no reason not to fix the Mark VII. Tony didn’t like to leave things broken, especially not his own projects.

He didn’t like to leave things unfixed, and he didn’t like people taking his stuff, and he didn’t know when Loki had inveigled his way into the category of ‘things Tony Stark is fixing’. He wasn’t something Tony could fix, according to everyone else, and tomorrow he would be gone back to god land, maybe less broken but still not entirely fixed, and there was nothing Tony could do about it.

Well, he could probably do something, but he wasn’t going to. Most of Loki’s problems stemmed from his family issues, so the best thing was for him to go home and deal with his family. Not Tony’s problem, or project, no matter how interesting he was.

Busy with his suit and his music and the frustrated loop of not thinking about Loki, Tony registered the sound of his name being called a second before someone touched his shoulder. He whirled, barely checking the impulse to strike out with the hand that held the hot iron, because being snuck up on from behind was another thing he did not like. Not since Obie.

It shouldn’t have even been possible. The lab door was locked, and no one had the overrides except Pepper, and she was still in D.C., on business. 

“Music off! Fucking hell, Jarvis!” he threw the soldering iron across the room. “Are you just letting anyone into the workshop now? I will give you to the city to manage traffic signals, I swear it!”

“Sir, you did not revoke Doctor Banner’s access after your return. I would have notified you of his arrival, but I was muted.” Jarvis informed him in that prim way that Tony recognized as his AI getting around the way Tony ignored his advice to do things like eat or go to bed.

Dum-E whirred after the bouncing tool, hosing it down with his fire extinguisher, despite the fact it had come unplugged and wouldn’t have set fire to the tiled floor or the rubber pressure mats in the first place. DUM-E was a little overzealous with fire safety, but Tony secretly preferred that, since he had passed out with a cutting torch in his hand that one time.

Bruce skipped back a step, guilty and alarmed, and Tony remembered that this was also one of his ‘fixer-uppers’, and still fragile in a lot of ways.

“Sorry to bother you,” Bruce apologized. “I yelled, but I guess you didn’t hear me.”

“No problem, Doc.” Tony waved it off, stretching to relieve the stiffness that had set in. “What can I do for you at- Jarvis, what time is it anyway?”

“It is two-forty seven a.m., sir.”

“Practically three,’ Stark agreed, taking in Bruce’s mussed hair and misbuttoned shirt. “Can’t sleep? Want to help me work on the suit?”

“No,” Bruce stammered, “I mean, yeah, I can’t sleep. I never can after a Hulk incident.” He looked at the chest armor interior uncertainly. “Do you want me to help? It’s not really my field.”

“That’s alright,” Tony retrieved his soldering iron from the puddle of dissolving foam and started wiping it clean with a shop rag. “Want to just hang out and keep me company, then?”

“Sure,” Bruce dragged over a rolling stool and sat down. “Sorry to bother you. Nobody else was around, except for SHIELD, and I asked Jarvis…”

“It’s cool, Bruce.” Tony set DUM-E to cleaning up the mess he’d made, and went back to work. “Not a problem.”

“So,” Bruce started, after a few minutes of nothing, “We haven’t seen much of you since we got back to New York.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“I know you’re disappointed that you aren’t going to Asgard-“

“I’m really not,” Tony denied, “I wouldn’t have time to go anyway. I just hate that it’s the spooks going. I mean, it’s supposed to be way more advanced there. They have inter-spacial travel. Or inter-dimensional, or whatever it is, and who knows what else, and no one who is invited even has the first clue as to what kind of questions to ask.”

“You could give them a list,” Bruce pointed out, too reasonably. “

“That’s not the point!” Retrieving his now empty glass, Tony hunted up the bottle and poured a few fingers of the smooth liquor, tossing half of it back just to see the other man’s look of disapproval. He thumped the glass down with a smirk. “Sure you won’t join me?”

“I’m sure, Tony.” Getting up, Bruce walked around to study the open portions of the armor. The man had advanced degrees in nuclear physics and bioengineering; a little electrical engineering wasn’t beyond him, despite his protests, Tony was sure.

“So what is the point? What is it that has you pissed off? And don’t say SHIELD, because you’ve been handling SHIELD for ages. You’ve invited me and Steve to stay here with you, but you’ve been avoiding us all day.”

“Look, Bruce,” Tony dragged a hand through his hair, “I just do this kind of thing. Ask Pepper, or Rhodey. Hell, ask anybody. I’m lousy with people. I just thought you and Steve would like it better here than whatever secret base or cubby on the Helicarrier they were planning to stick you guys in.”

Still facing away from him, Bruce asked, “Is there really a Hulk cage on the Helicarrier? One meant to be dropped out of it?”

“Don’t know.” Tony took a smaller sip of scotch. “I wouldn’t put it past them. They’ve got plans to neutralize the suits. Which won’t work, since I know about them. You think being dropped from a few thousand feet would even hurt the Hulk, anyway?”

“No,” Bruce replied. He still didn’t sound happy about the idea. 

Tony supposed he couldn’t blame him. He didn’t like SHIELD’s attitude of treating everyone as a potential threat and planning ways to kill or imprison them, just in case, and even if it wouldn’t hurt the Hulk, it might kill Banner, if he couldn’t transform for some reason.

“Where’d you hear about this cage?”

Bruce turned enough for Tony to see the twist of his lips that was not quite a grimace or a smile. “From Loki.” 

Tony snorted, guessing the demigod had been trying to piss Bruce off.

“I know,” Bruce nodded, reading his thoughts, “Unreliable source.”

“Still might be true. I’ll find out.” He’d find out more than that, but he might not tell Bruce all of it. The man was twitchy, and Tony didn’t want him to bolt.

“Thanks.” Bruce was watching DUM-E puttering around. “And thanks for the rest, too. Getting SHIELD to back me and protect me from Ross. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

“That wasn’t me,” Tony confessed. “I would have, though. I was going to. Loki just beat me to it.”

“What?”

“I keep forgetting you don’t remember stuff that happens to the Hulk,” Tony groaned. “Didn’t anybody tell you? This whole invitation to Asgard was a deal Thor made to get the Council to call off Ross and put you on the payroll. Only Thor didn’t come up with it. At least, I don’t think so. He’s a handy guy with a hammer, but inter-whatever diplomacy…” 

“Why would Loki do that?” 

Tony shrugged. “I think he likes the Hulk.” The way he’d cuddled up with the green giant in the anti-grav bubble, Tony suspected a crush, even. 

“He likes to use the Hulk, you mean.” Bruce was looking a trifle greenish. 

“Maybe you should ask him.”

“I think it’s better if I just stay away from him. He’s already caused me to lose control twice.”

“Uh-huh,” Tony replied, noncommittally. If Bruce wouldn’t, Tony decided he would. It was a really good question, after all.

“Well, this has been a good talk, but I think I’ll turn in now,” Tony lied, shutting off his diagnostics for the night. 

“You’re welcome to raid the kitchen or watch a movie or whatever if you still can’t get to sleep. Jarvis will order takeout or buy music or movies or pretty much anything you want.”

Bruce looked like he knew Tony wasn’t telling the truth, but unlike Pepper or Rhodey, he didn’t try to call him on it. That was nice. He hated when Pepper or Rhodey tried to talk him out of things. He always did them anyway, and then he felt bad about it. Sort of. Sometimes. He didn’t like making them upset, but when he had an idea, he needed to follow up on it. Even when it was a dumb idea.

“Okay, sure,” Bruce let himself be ushered into the elevator, then directed towards was becoming known as the common rooms. “I’ll see you in the morning, then?”

“What’s in the morning?” Tony was more concerned with the rest of the evening.

“Thor and Loki and the others leaving for Asgard,” Bruce reminded him. “You are coming?”

“Oh, right. I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it.” Stepping back, he pushed the button and had the elevator doors cut off any further conversation. 

“Jarvis, is Loki still awake?” Not that he would hesitate to wake him up; he was just curious.

“Yes, sir.”

“What about Thor?” Thor had been almost glued to Loki’s side since they’d won, until Jane Foster had arrived. Tony hadn’t been there, but he had checked in with Jarvis and reviewed recorded footage of anything interesting. 

She’d taken a swing at Loki for trying to blow up her town and kill Thor and all her friends. Loki had apologized, in the most insincere, insufferable way possible, driving Thor away into the arms of the sympathetic and very attractive Jane. 

“Thor Odinson and Doctor Foster are still out,” Jarvis replied.

That was a little unexpected. Foster hadn’t struck Tony as a party all night type, and the city was too bright for star gazing. Also, she’d come from fucking Tromsø, which was six hours later than New York. Maybe she was a night owl, or had slept on the plane. Maybe they’d gone to a hotel; Tony hadn’t thought to offer her a room in the tower. He’d sort of thought she’d be sleeping in Thor’s room, but she hadn’t had luggage with her. With any luck, they’d be busy reuniting till morning.

There were SHIELD guards outside Loki’s room. Unnecessary concessions to Fury. Jarvis was way more vigilant than any human guards, and if Loki had been going to run for it, it would have been when he had the Tesseract. 

Goon Number One tried to bar his way. “Mr. Stark, I’m afraid you can’t-“

“Sure I can,” Tony looked pointedly down at the hand that was wisely not touching him. “This is my tower, and I’ll go anywhere I want. Jarvis, open the door.”

There was a series of beeps and a loud click, then the door slid aside. The arm in his way remained.

“Sir, we have our orders.”

“Pretty sure your orders are not to let him out. But you know what? I don’t care. Take it up with Fury, if you want to wake him up, but get out of my way.”

Goon Number Two was smarter. He pulled his associate back with a muttered comment about rich assholes. That was fine. Tony totally owned it. He walked past the goon squad without another word, and the door slid closed behind him, locking.

As Jarvis had said, Loki was not asleep, but he was in bed. Or at least he was sitting up on the bed, watching some kind of nature documentary on the holographic screen Jarvis had projected. It appeared to be about birds.

“Mute program,” Tony instructed. The cultured British voice and the cries of sea gulls or whatever they were went quiet. 

Loki said nothing about Tony’s highhanded interruption, but just watched him come closer. He was wearing a pair of loose white pants, a plain white tee shirt and white socks. And the cuffs that restricted his magic, though they had decided to dispense with the chains, since this safe room hadn’t been outfitted to accommodate them, and the previous safe room was still pretty much Hulk-smashed. Besides which, it would have been a pretty shitty move, after he’d helped close the portal and talked the Hulk into sticking around.

All that snowy white looked good against the dark blue of his skin and gleaming blue-black hair. His red eyes glowed in the dim light, giving him a slightly predatory air. 

Since Tony was having a hard time formulating any of the questions he’d come to ask, he just went with the first thing that came to mind. 

“Can you see in the dark?” 

 

~~~~~~

 

Every fiber of Loki’s body wanted nothing more than to fall into the soft bed of his luxurious, temporary cell and sleep for days, or years, or possibly forever, but he held grimly to consciousness. There would be plenty of time to sleep back in Asgard, if Odin did as he expected and threw him into the dungeons. 

Or, if he was executed, which he still half believed despite Thor’s protestations, he wouldn’t need sleep. To waste what might be his final hours of comfort, if not freedom, would be foolish in the extreme. He wanted comfort. He wanted a window to look out of, but all he had was the artificial window of ‘television’, provided by Stark’s invisible servant. 

He’d asked for views of the sky, and nature, and had gotten a moderately interesting educational lesson on birds, accompanied by glorious moving pictures. The sound came from small devices scattered around the room, and seemed almost real, but it was no substitute for a breeze in his hair, or the scent of growing things or the sea. It might be a long while before he ever saw a bird, or the sea again, if ever, though, so he watched anyway. 

He paid no mind to the muffled voices outside his door at first, assuming it was merely the conversation of his guards, but when the door opened, he turned, aggravated, assuming Thor had returned despite all Loki had done to get him to leave and spend an evening with the mortal woman. 

Thor had tried to protest that Loki needed him more, and there would be other times to visit with Jane. Always the optimist, his brother. The Bifrost was still broken, and that would have led to upheaval all through the Nine Realms. As soon as it was repaired, Odin would be sending Thor out to help stamp out whatever disorder and rebellion had flared up. That could easily take decades, and when that was settled, if Thor had done well, the All-Father would likely wish to give up the throne to him and retire. He would wish Thor to marry, and he would not approve of any liaison with a mortal woman. As if these were not problems enough, and mortals not already absurdly short-lived, they were also terribly, terribly fragile. 

Loki had considered trying to tell Thor these things, but, remembering a thousand times that his advice had been casually disregarded and brushed aside, he’d simply driven the woman away instead, and his brother had followed. Maybe he would beg her forgiveness, if he saw her again. He’d liked her spirit, though he thought her foolish in her hopeless yearning for Thor.

He’d thought to be rid of the overbearing oaf until morning, and words of rebuke were already boiling up to be spat out when not Thor but Tony Stark strode in, smirking, and then staring.

The man absently shut off the sound of birds and the voice describing how the kestrel could seem to hover midair to search out its prey. He approached slowly, without a word, and Loki wondered what might have brought him here, in the middle of the night. 

There was a strong scent of alcohol on Stark’s breath, but he walked without a hint of drunkenness. His expression was serious, almost demanding, but when he finally spoke, it was to ask whether Loki could see in the dark.

Automatically, Loki said, “No.” It wasn’t really a lie. Nothing could see in absolute darkness. But that hadn’t been what Stark had meant, Loki knew, and he was not in the mood to spin useless lies, so he added, “But I can see in much lower light than this.”

Stark’s smile was sharp and satisfied and brief as a heartbeat, but it was a pleasant thing to see. A memory to store up and hold against a future of few smiles, along with birds.

He came closer, looked over at the heavy chair that was against the far wall, then just sat down on the bed beside Loki. 

“Can I help you in some way, Stark?” Loki asked, when he’d gone a moment without saying anything. It was unlike the man to not babble, and he found it unnerving.

“Probably,” the mortal replied, shaking his head. “I had questions. And I wanted a chance to get you into my lab. Watch you work your magic some more. 

“I feel one hundred percent certain that there are a lot of ways you could help me on all kinds of things. More realistic holograms. Cloaking technology. Space travel. Fuck. The possibilities are endless,” Stark ranted, suddenly intense.

Taken aback at this near diatribe, Loki bit his lip and worried at the cuffs, but his silver tongue had once again turned to lead. 

“I’m not ready for you to go, damn it.” Stark looked like he was about to physically grab Loki and restrain him.

“I am afraid I have no say in that, Stark.” He had had his chance, and he’d elected to go back, and putting it off would only make things worse He might be tempted to put it off indefinitely and then run mad again. 

“I am sorry. I would have enjoyed showing you things, I think.”

“Damn it,” Stark repeated, scowling.

Loki’s depression tried to overwhelm him. He considered telling the mouthy little mortal to go away and give him a few last hours of peace. But he didn’t really want Stark to leave. He hadn’t wanted to be with Thor, and especially not with Thor and his little chit, but he didn’t want to be alone, with only the illusions of birds for company.

Without stopping to think, Loki leaned forward and kissed him, half-expecting the man to react with disgust or anger, despite how much he’d seemed to enjoy their earlier tryst. 

But Stark’s lips parted, and he moved into the kiss, not away. His hands rose to smooth Loki’s hair as the kiss deepened, and hope and desire flared up. The human’s mouth was so warm, as were his hands as they moved down Loki’s back, through the thin material. He wanted that heat, wanted it inside him, driving back the cold desolation of his fears. He needed it.

Giving in to urgency, Loki grasped the hem of Stark’s tunic and yanked it off over his head, shoving him down onto his back and straddling his hips. Through the fabric of the man’s trousers, he could feel Stark was hard. It seemed too unreal that he should really wish to lie with a misborn frost giant, but bodies did not lie.

Leaning down, Loki stroked the flat plane of Stark’s midriff, letting his fingers glide up to tease his dark little nipples, enjoying the soft gasps of pleasure, and noting the unease when he combed through the nest of chest hair and traced the outline of the device in his chest. 

“Don’t,” Stark’s voice was almost inaudible. Which did he fear more? Being vulnerable, or showing it? 

No matter. Loki did not want him to be nervous; he wanted him aroused, eager, lusting. He wanted to reward Stark’s body for making him feel something other than ugly. He moved his hands away from the glowing circle, down to the fastening of his trousers.

Stark twitched, attempted to stop him. Loki captured his wrists and pinned them over his head and waited. If he did not want to- Oh, he had to want to, but if he did not…

“Um, Loki,” Stark stared up at him. Such beautiful brown eyes, usually sparkling with impending mischief or irreverence, but now looking worried. “You haven’t gone crazy again here, have you?”

Laughing softly, Loki leaned down and brushed his mouth over Stark’s, letting his tongue trace along his upper lip. 

“I may be going to prison in the morning, Stark.” Or worse, but saying that out loud might dampen the mood. “Does it seem so irrational that I would wish to enjoy tonight to its fullest?”

“Not when you put it that way,” the mortal admitted, grunting softly as Loki rocked, grinding against him. 

“Jarvis,” Stark’s breath hitched. “Privacy. Don’t care how.”

“Yes, sir,” the invisible servant replied placidly.

Releasing Stark’s wrists, Loki moved down his body again, undoing the zipper and began working the trousers down, along with the undergarment. The mortal not only allowed it, but snaked his calloused hands into Loki’s hair and held it away from his face, the better to watch as Loki licked delicately at his freed erection. 

“You don’t have to,” Stark murmured, mistaking Loki’s slow pace for hesitation as he lapped at the pearl of salty pre-cum leaking from the tip.

“I want to,” Loki assured him, and proved it by engulfing him, slowly sucking him in to the very root, till his nose was buried in the coarse pubic hair, and the back of his throat spasmed in protest. 

His own cock throbbed, and he slipped his hand into the loose sleep trousers to grasp it, squeezing and pulling while he suckled and swallowed, rasping his teeth ever so gently along Stark’s entire length as he pulled back slowly, till the tip merely rested against his lips before plunging down again.

The hold on his hair tightened as Stark cursed and worked to keep from thrusting. Loki took it as a challenge, hollowing his cheeks to increase suction till Stark thrashed, working his tongue along the ridge of nerves along the underside, moving up and down, gradually increasing his pace as he worked his own hand in unison. 

He moaned hungrily, and the sound, or the vibration drew a strangled hiss from Stark, so he repeated it, louder.

“Fuck, Loki,” the engineer stuttered, letting his head fall back as he lost the fight to keep control. His hands dragged Loki’s head away as his hips bucked. “Stop.”

“Stop?” Loki looked up, swallowing back the fear and sudden humiliation that threatened to overwhelm the taste of Stark on his tongue. Of course Stark didn’t want anything to do with him. How had he deluded himself otherwise?

“Just,” Stark panted, regaining control as he tugged Loki up, or tried to, “just slow down. I want to make this last a little longer.”

“Oh.” It was preposterous to be so relieved. This whole situation was ludicrous. He should tell the man to leave. Instead he allowed Stark to draw him up for a series of kisses. Light, feathery kisses. Deep, drowning kisses. Tongues meeting and questing and delving in to explore one another’s mouths. 

Stark tasted of the smokey, fiery drink that he favored. Loki felt he could get drunk himself, on the flavor. His beard scratched and tickled as he gave his attention on Loki’s neck and shoulders, then hesitated, glancing up as his hands dove under the tee shirt, stroking honey slow up Loki’s sides. He paused just before reaching his breasts.

“Do you mind?” Stark asked softly. “I won’t touch the lady bits, if it bothers you.”

Disconcerted, Loki sat up, staring in confusion. “I thought you liked them?” 

His memories of their earlier rutting were disjointed flashes of shame and anger and frustration and intense pleasure, and he was almost certain Stark had been taking him as a woman. He’s assumed that would be what he would wish this time as well.

“I do,” he planted a soft kiss against the fabric on the top of one breast as if to reassure it. “But it’s your body, and if you’re uncomfortable with the new additions, I’ll leave them out of this.”

“How can you be so unaffected by this, Stark? Do you often couple with mons- men with female parts?” 

“Not often, no.” Lifting the shirt hem, he kissed Loki’s stomach just above the waistline of his pants, then started tugging them down, inch by inch, kissing his cock as it sprang free. “But not never, either. I’ve had a few trans partners.”

“What?” Loki quivered. Why was he asking questions? He should just let this happen, however it happened. 

Stark finished dragging the trousers down and over his feet, which he obligingly pointed, then moved back over him, tangling their legs and sliding his erection slowly up his thighs to lie beside his own. He propped himself up on his elbows and stared down.

“I don’t know what things are like over the rainbow, but on this planet, sex and gender are pretty complicated,” Stark told him. “But I like complicated things. And people.”

“You are far from simple yourself, Stark.”

“Call me Tony,” Stark insisted. 

“Stark,” Loki provoked, laughing.

“Oh, you want me to make you, don’t you? Don’t think I can’t.” He reached down to grasp Loki, taking him in hand like a master smith, bringing heat and pressure and friction to bear, then unbearably stilling. Loki groaned and tried lifting his hips, willing him to continue.

“You want this?” He taunted, eyes alight with mischief. “Call me by my name.”

Loki put on his best imitation of his brother’s affronted outrage. “You believe you, a mere mortal, can make me- Ah!” 

He yelped at the sharp squeeze, reaching to try and pull Stark down into another kiss. 

“Unh-uh,” Stark resisted, grinning and gripping harder, running a thumbnail over the ridges of Loki’s cock. “Not till you call me Tony.”

“Make me,” Loki kept his voice light and jocular, though he could barely hear himself over the rush of blood in his ears as his pulse beat beat beat against the fingers of Stark’s encircling fingers. A prince of Asgard did not beg. Could not surrender his will or his body. I am no prince of Asgard. 

“Make me!” he demanded, baring his teeth in a dagger sharp smile.

When Stark let go of him, Loki had a minute to worry he had misjudged, and that Stark was repelled at his weakness, then he was being rolled onto his stomach. Stark moved away and there was an electronic beeping, followed by a distinct click, and the sound of a drawer opening.

Loki had seen the outline of the hidden drawer beneath this bed, and had wondered if it contained the same plethora of playthings as the other, but it would not yield to his half-hearted efforts, and he had let it go. Now he waited, not turning to look. Leaving the decision up to Stark in the same way he’d left it up to Barton? This is not the same. Stark is willing.

When the bed dipped down under Stark’s weight again, the man’s work-hardened hand moved down his back, smoothing on a lightly scented oil. 

 

~~~~~~

 

A lot of people over the years had called Tony Stark a narcissistic bastard, and he knew that was fair. He didn’t care about social niceties, he didn’t do small talk, and most people bored him so much he had to anesthetize himself with alcohol in order to be in the same room with them for any length of time.

His unapologetic promiscuity hadn’t helped his reputation in that regard. His habit of one night stands and quickies in board rooms and elevators or on his private plane with partners he seldom ever thought of or spoke to afterwards had also gotten him called a selfish prick many, many times.

He understood why; he was a genius, after all, but he didn’t agree. Tony Stark considered himself to be a very generous lover. Sex, besides being a hell of a lot of fun for him, was one of the few ways he could relate to other human beings. 

Bodies were a kind of machine, and Tony loved machines. He loved working on them, making them function at the absolute pinnacle of perfection. To Tony, this meant getting every last erg of energy out of his arc reactor, the smoothest ride at the greatest speed from his cars, the smartest computer programs, and once, the most destructive weapons. 

When working with flesh and blood machines, what turned Tony Stark’s gears was getting the most, or possibly the best, orgasms possible in the time allotted. He loved to see skin flushing, pupils dilating, sweat and shivers and toes curling as his partners shook and screamed and spurted helplessly.

So maybe he was selfish, but he didn’t think anyone really had cause to complain. When he offered sex, he provided the best damned sex anyone could want. 

Now Loki had given him a challenge. Pre-incarceration sex. Rubbing bodies together like sticks to make a fire to stave off a long, cold winter. Tony adored a challenge.

Step one had been to slow down the pace. Not for this night the frantic, frenetic coupling of horny teenagers or cheating spouses in broom closets. Great sex took preparation, the right steps in the right order. Just like tuning an engine.

Step two had been to find out how Loki wanted to deal with his double portion of sexual attributes. He hadn’t, their first go ‘round, because he’d figured Loki just needed a little help accepting the sudden additions, but since Bruce had brought up the matter of choice, Loki had been pretty adamant that he was a he, and though he had ducked the direct question, Tony felt pretty safe in assuming that since the god was so anxious to get rid of them, that he was less than eager to have Tony lavish attention to those parts.

Step three was to get Loki to loosen up some. Thus, lavender and verbena body oil and his best massage technique. He had to bear down hard, digging in his thumbs. The god’s back felt like a solid mass of knotted muscle under his hands, but slowly, after several minutes, Loki sighed a little and started to unwind.

“That’s better,” Tony praised. “Just relax.”

“I am not some simpering weakling, Stark,” Loki grumbled, even as he gradually melted under Tony’s ministrations. “I need no cosseting before the act.”

“I knoweth thou art noteth a weakling, Hamlet,” Tony assured him, grinning to himself as he leaned down to nuzzle the back of Loki’s neck, pushing his hair gently aside. It was still faintly damp from being washed, and smelled of something tropical and sweet.  
“I’m not sure what ‘cosseting’ means, though,” he explained, pronouncing the ridiculously old-fashioned word in his fruitiest Alistair Cooke voice.

“It means I am not fragile, Stark.” Loki was clearly getting frustrated with the slower pace. He shifted restlessly, turning his head to seek Tony’s mouth with his own.

Tony had to laugh. “You can’t possibly believe I think you are,” he said, gathering a handful of thick, black hair and using it to turn Loki’s head a little further for better kissability. 

“I saw you putting the beat down on Cap in Germany, remember? I know even without your magic that you’re bulletproof and strong enough to take on the Hulk, who is a tough act to follow, I’m guessing,” he added wryly, before granting the kiss.

Loki moaned into his mouth as Tony put a knee between his thighs to part them. Reaching down, he felt around till he located the tube of lube and popped the cap with his thumb, but he wasn’t ready to use it just yet.

Breaking the kiss, he started down again, his lips dotting a line down the column of Loki’s spine. The lightly raised lines on his skin paralleled it, and Loki shuddered every time he paused to lick them. Erogenous zones? Or just highly sensitive? Tony decided he was going to map Loki’s whole body with his tongue.

Loki fisted his hands into the covers and demanded, “Then stop being so damned nice, Stark!”

Having kissed his way down to the curves of Loki’s incredibly fine ass, Stark used both hands to part his cheeks, then kept going until he reached the puckered rose. The god stiffened, in shock? in trepidation? when Tony kissed him there. 

“You think I’m being nice?” he asked, extending his tongue to lick a hot, moist circle against Loki’s entrance.

Loki writhed, his breathing gone rough and uneven, and his bottom rose, chasing after his mouth when Tony drew away a little, chuckling.

“Stark!” Loki whined in protest.

“Tony,” Tony reminded him, squeezing out a generous amount of lube into his hand.

Loki growled. Tony went back to work with his tongue, this time pushing into the tight hole, just a bit. Just enough to have Loki bucking his hips and scratching at the sheets. Gorgeous. Like the purr of an engine.

“Are you trying to make me beg, Stark?”

“I just think if we are going to be doing something as intimate as this…” He pressed a slick fingertip to Loki’s hole and pressed slowly, giving the ring of muscle time to relax and accept this intrusion, “We should really be on a first name basis. Don’t you think?”

The sound Loki made in reply was a strangled, wordless plea. Such a pretty sound deserved a reward, Tony decided, working a second finger inside, stretching and going deeper. 

His free hand ghosted lightly over his own cock, but he didn’t really need any extra stimulation to stay iron hard. He had a god- or at least an alien sorcerer- under his hand, practically begging for mercy. But not actually begging. Not tonight, anyway.

“Promise to come back,” Tony ordered, stretching Loki open a little more and adding a third finger, though it took effort, as the god tried to clench up, fighting back against the increased spreading and cursing softly in some foreign tongue.

“I cannot,” Loki protested, dragging down a pillow to bury his face in. 

Did he mean he couldn’t promise to come back, or couldn’t take what Tony was doing to him? Lying, either way, Tony mused. Which he wasn’t going to accept.

“Yes you can,” he whispered, leaning down and stroking Loki’s shoulder with his free hand. “I know you can, if you want to. You maneuvered SHIELD into giving Bruce asylum, on the fly, in the middle of a battle,” Tony pointed out, without ceasing the slow thrusts into Loki’s ass. “You can talk yourself out of whatever trouble you’re in with your old man if you try.”

“N-no… They won’t- I can’t…” Loki was nearly sobbing.

“You’re smart enough to convince them, so promise me you will do that and then get your ass back here. I can make it worth your while.”

“So… arrogant,” Loki laughed, even as drew his knees and elbows beneath him to arch his back and lift his ass. His black hair hung down over his face, concealing his expression as he assumed a pose of pure supplication.

Twisting his hand relentlessly, opening Loki up, Tony debated the merits of fucking versus fisting. He watched Loki’s every twitch and listened to how he breathed out near-silent moans of pleasure and want, with the same intense focus he would bring to bear to inventing, or hammering hot metal. He decided fisting would have to wait. Loki would love it, he was sure, but it was something to build up to, and not for someone so uncertain in their needs.

“Promise.” The fourth finger slid in with barely any resistance, and Tony pressed in, seeking the little bundle of nerves that would- yes, aliens had prostates, too, and Loki’s was right there, by the god’s sudden jerk and gasp.

Sidling up closer, Tony reached around to stroke Loki’s eager cock, while pressing again on his inner magic button, then pulled back, almost out. “Come on, Loki, say yes.”  
“Yes,” Loki panted, his body rocking up and down, chasing first one of Stark’s hands, then the other. “Yes, Stark, I promise. Just fuck me already!”

“I’m holding you to that,” Stark said, grabbing up the foil wrapped condom with the hand not inside Loki and ripping it open with his teeth. He rolled it on with the ease of practice, drew his fingers out of Loki and positioned himself carefully.

Loki pushed up against him as the tip touched the stretched opening, and Tony smoothly slid in, reveling in how the ribbed condom caught ever so slightly, creating a slight drag. Once he was in as deeply as he could go, he reclaimed his hold on Loki’s cock, then stayed absolutely still while the god beneath and around him shivered and squirmed in need. 

“Stark,” Loki entreated, shifting his hips to compel Tony to do the same. When this didn’t work, he cried out in exasperation, “Tony!”

Triumphant, Tony gave him what he wanted, fucking him with gradually increasing speed and what would have translated with a human partner to sheer brutality, but Loki’s yowls and groans, and the way he rose up to meet Tony’s thrusting were more than enough evidence of how strong he was, and when he came, choking out a yell, he constricted around Tony, tighter than any grip. 

The almost painful pressure brought Tony over the edge, and he thrust one last time, driving home as if somehow planting his seed just a little deeper would stake a claim on this beautiful, mysterious creature.

Then he withdrew, going soft as Loki collapsed beneath him, breathing heavily and going boneless. Peeling off the condom, Tony tossed it to one side, dropped down to spoon in tight against Loki and pulled up the disarranged covers.

After long moments in which they just lay there, getting their wind back, Loki inquired, “Are you planning to sleep here, Stark?”

“If you don’t mind,” Tony yawned, rubbing his nose against a blue shoulder blade.

“What of your teammates?” Loki rolled over to face him. “You are not worried they will think less of you for this?”

Tony snorted. “My being a bit of a man-whore is not going to be news to anybody. It’s never stopped me from doing what I wanted before, and it’s not about to start.”

“A man-whore?” Loki repeated, raising his eyebrows.

“A slut, basically. It’s no big deal. Haters gonna hate. Let’s go to sleep, ‘kay?”

“You may not want to be here when Thor returns.”

Which was a fair point. Tony didn’t give a damn. “Thor needs a lesson in tolerance. Multiculturalism. Something…” Tony mumbled. “Sleep now. Worry about that later.”

“I really am glad to have met you, Stark,” Loki sighed, bestowing a light kiss on Tony’s forehead. “I wish we could have had more time.”

“We will,” Tony reminded him in a half-asleep mumble. “You promised.”

If there was any reply, Tony was no longer awake to hear it.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Thor return to Asgard, with Phil, Barton and Natasha going too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks are due to tilla123 for beta reading and helping me in lots of other ways from motivation to plot.
> 
> Here we are, 33 chapters into what I had originally thought would be a short piece of dark smut, and started posting exactly one year ago. What I wound up with, and the enthusiastic reader response, has been unexpected and gratifying. Thank you, everyone! 
> 
> ~~~~~~

Tony and Loki had said their goodbyes the night before, so Tony had elected not to come to see them leave for Asgard. Thor’s woman had chosen to come, however, and was still importuning his brother for the right to accompany them, right up to the final minute. She might have won him over, for Thor wished her to go as well, if the device housing the Tesseract had not been designed with handles for only five people. 

Watching the two of them cling, so obviously enamored of each other, Loki was unsure if he had been lying when he told Thor that it was for the best that Jane not come along. He had said that Thor needed to impress upon Odin that this was a diplomatic mission, and that Thor was acting as a wise prince and heir, not as a rash warrior who wanted his friends and lover by his side. 

It sounded good, but it was possible that Loki was just jealous, as usual. Jealous that he did not dare take Tony with him. Jealous of his brother’s time and love. Afraid of anything that might distract him from his promise of support and protection, little faith though Loki had in that, once Sif and the Warriors Three were once again in Thor’s company to point out all Loki’s many flaws and recollect all his past sins.

Rogers had come, and was off at the other end of the small clearing that the authorities had cordoned off, making his farewells to Agents Coulson, Barton and Romanov. 

Banner, who was beside Rogers, excused himself and came to stand diffidently next to Loki. After a moment’s hesitation, he offered his hand. “I just wanted to wish you good luck,” he said.

“Thank you, Doctor.” Loki clasped his hand. “Good fortune to you as well. To you both.”

“Yeah, about that,” Banner removed his glasses and began cleaning them on the ends of his shirt. “Tony told me you were the one who got SHIELD to call off Ross.”

“Stark and Thor would have defended you, regardless,” Loki shrugged. “And I had already planned to invite the SHIELD delegation. My way seemed less messy, that’s all.”

“Well,” Banner seemed uncomfortable. No doubt he was anxious to see Loki well out of his life. “Thanks anyway.”

“I owed you a debt. You and the Hulk both,” Loki said, turning to go back to where Barton, Romanov and Coulson waited, with the Tesseract and its new transport system in the open carrying case between them.

Agent Coulson studied Loki with cool appraisal. Romanov was watchful. Barton was tense and irritated at the delays, though he kept his face still and impassive. Loki took his position between Coulson and the final empty space in the small circle.

“Thor,” he called. “Are we leaving this day, or waiting for the All-Father to send winged Valkyries with written invitations?”

“I will join you anon, brother!” Thor called back. “I am no less eager to see home again!”

Loki was only eager to get the uncertainty of his fate, however dire, over with. Though he supposed it would be good to see Frigga again, if she was not totally repulsed by his true form.

Jane Foster had at last relented in her pleading to go with them, and was extracting a promise from Thor to not leave her waiting for so long again. After one last long kiss goodbye, she went to stand between Rogers and her outlandish friend Darcy, who had called Loki a ‘dick’ and threatened to ‘tase’ him. Loki had found her rather amusing, and come near to changing his mind and telling Thor to bring both women along. Banner stood nearby, too accustomed to keeping his distance from everyone to join in with them.

At last, Thor took his place in their group, practically glowing with happiness as he plucked up the Tesseract by one of the five handles and extended the others to the rest of them. 

“Ready, my friends?””

Romanov took one of the handles without a word, as did Barton. Coulson took his and said, “We’re all set.”

That only left Loki. He looked at the glowing blue cube in its clear case, remembering its whispered song of power and secrets and worlds without end. If only it had not existed, Thanos and the other might have had no use for him. Perhaps he might have been allowed to die. Likely not, though. The Lover of Death was not known for his mercy.

“Brother?” Thor’s voice drew him out of his morbid rumination. “Are you not ready to go home?”

“As ready as I am likely to get,” Loki sighed, taking his own handle. 

“On three?” suggested Coulson.

“A good plan,” Thor agreed. “One-“

Everyone took a deep breath, preparing for the unknown. Loki had provided the schematics for the device, based on books he had studied long ago. Tony, Banner and the Foster woman, and Erik Selvig had all gone over the theories and calculations, and they believed it would work, but no mortal had ever made such a trip, and the Tesseract had been gone from Asgard since Thor and Loki had been small children.

“Two-“ Coulson seconded, hooking his free hand around Barton’s quiver strap, as if he meant to hold onto the man in case of some mishap. Barton’s free hand was locked onto Romanov’s. 

Inspired by this idea of hanging on, Loki reached for a handful of Thor’s cape, but Thor caught his hand instead, intwining their fingers in a painful lock. He grinned as Loki met his eyes, as confident that things would work out in his favor as always.

Loki was just as certain things would go against him, as always. But with Thor holding his hand in a grip as sure as any manacle, there was no point in letting go again, and trying to run away from the wreckage of his life. After all, that had not worked out before. So this time he held on tightly, and turned the handle a sharp twisting motion to the right as Barton rushed ahead of Thor to announce “Three!”

Midgard dissolved in a welter of blue-white light. Unlike travel by Bifrost, there was no sensation of movement, only an instant of existing as light, in a timeless eternity of trackless space, then crashing back into the physical world with a gasp, half-blind and mind-fogged from the glimpse into the infinite. 

The world came back in dazzling flashes between blinks. The Bifrost beneath their feet, its luminous colors frozen and still. The swirling crimson of Thor’s cape. The dull shine of golden armor, and the upswept curves of Einhejar helmets, and the gleam of their spears. The three SHIELD agents concentrating into a knot of black as they drew together. The exquisite blue of Frigga’s eyes, awash in tears. The offensive blue of his own hands, rising of their own accord to wipe at his watering eyes.

Odin’s face, stern as ever, swimming into view. “Loki,” he said, then stopped.

Loki straightened, stiffened by ice forming around his bones, freezing his heart. He drew in a breath, words of anger and mockery rising in his closing throat to stave off hurt.

But Odin found his voice first. “Odinson.” 

And Loki was confused, barely able to comprehend that this was a continuation of the All-Father’s greeting, that only a single heartbeat had passed between his name and his father’s claiming him again, as a son, and it was so unexpected that all he could reply was, “Father.”

Thor’s arm fell across his shoulders, giving him the embrace that the king could not. Would not, for he was king first, and if Loki was his son still, he was a highly dubious son, and no doubt a traitor in the eyes of all Asgard.

He let himself hope Odin spoke to him, and not just to Thor, when he said, “It is good to have you home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~~~
> 
> This is far from the end of our tale. I will be posting chapter 1 of the next part soon, so don't forget to join Loki and the others in Asgard to see what happens next, in ['When You're a Stranger, There's No Place Like Home'](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2653877)


End file.
